The European Laboratory of Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) society network has recently selected 33 new exceptional scientists, with three of the scientists are members of the ELLIS unit Amsterdam’s community, to become part of the growing network to consolidate efforts in driving AI research and innovation across Europe. The ELLIS unit Amsterdam is thrilled about its thriving community.
We wish to congratulate the newly appointed ELLIS Scholar, Erik Bekkers. His ELLIS scholarship was nominated by the ELLIS Geometric Deep Learning Program given his meaningful contribution to the field of geometric deep learning.
Erik Bekkers
Erik Bekkers‘ research is dedicated to advancing the field of geometric deep learning, which seeks to unify deep learning by introducing a shared mathematical framework rooted in geometry. Within this field, his research is focused on widening the deep learning application-scope to geometric data-structures and enhancing the deep learning paradigm through geometric inductive biases. In his research, he draws upon principles from mathematical fields like differential geometry and group theory, with at the center the notion of equivariance. Equivariance, in context of AI research, is a property that preserves geometric and transformational structures in intermediate neural network representations.
Erik Bekkers joined four of his fellow ELLIS Scholars of the ELLIS unit Amsterdam in taking on the prestigious role. ELLIS Scholars are excellent junior scientists who are on a clear trajectory to become ELLIS Fellows. ELLIS Scholars provides strategic advices, defines the scope of ELLIS, supervises ELLIS PhD students, establishes ELLIS units and institutes, and initiate new programs.
Each nominated candidate is evaluated by the ELLIS Fellow committee with scientific excellence as the main consideration. Aside from directors of ELLIS programs, directors of ELLIS units can nominate potential Fellows and Scholars. The detailed criteria of becoming fellows and scholars and find a database of all Fellows and Scholars can be accessed here. You can read the news item on the latest appointment of the ELLIS Fellows of the unit here.
Scientists can also join the ELLIS network as a member. Find the information here.