Sept 19, 2022

Graham Taylor has been named Research Director at the Vector Institute. Taylor, who is also a Vector Faculty Member and Canada CIFAR AI Chair, previously held the position on an interim basis since August, 2021.

“I am honored to have the support of my peers to represent the 700+ community of researchers on the senior leadership team. Vector has been a step change for me and my trainees. It feels good to support the organization through the launch of round 2 of the ​​Pan-Canadian AI Strategy.”

A Professor of Engineering at the University of Guelph and an Academic Director of NextAI on top of his duties at Vector, Taylor is interested in a number of topics in deep learning. His research has explored open problems such as how to effectively learn with less labeled data, and how to build human-centred AI systems. He is also interested in methodologies including generative modelling, graph representation learning, and sequential decision-making. 

He also pursues applied projects with global impact. Working with Vector PhD student Angus Galloway, he helped develop a computer vision framework that accurately determines zebra and quagga mussel coverage, abundance, and biomass in underwater imagery. Their work has the potential to inform accurate, up-to-date mussel density maps, key to reducing harmful impacts on ecosystems and infrastructure. He also helps with the AI modeling for the annual Canadian Food Price Report, which forecasts food prices over the upcoming 12 months.

Taylor is an active member of the local and Canadian AI ecosystem, co-organizing the annual CIFAR Deep Learning Summer School and he has trained more than 80 students and staff members on AI-related projects.

“I’m thrilled to have Graham transitioning from interim to be Vector’s Research Director,” says Garth Gibson, Vector Institute President and CEO. “In addition to his extensive AI research and entrepreneurial experience, Graham is a widely trusted research community leader. Vector is lucky to have him playing an important role as our community pushes the boundaries of AI to secure Ontario’s position as a world-leading hub of AI talent and investment attraction.”