蓝莓视频

Fabrice Matulic is a senior researcher at Preferred Networks, Inc., a technology company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. He is a former postdoctoral fellow in the Cheriton School of Computer Science, where he worked in the field of human computer interaction (HCI).

After leaving 蓝莓视频, Matulic maintained a productive working relationship with researchers at the University, and specifically with Daniel Vogel, associate professor and Cheriton Faculty Fellow in computer science.

In recent years, their industry-academic partnership has resulted in a flourishing of research, providing enormous value to the University and to Preferred Networks. The collaboration is a case-study for how such partnerships can drive innovation.

鈥淲hen I was looking at doing the postdoc, I knew Dan鈥檚 work and I knew we had a shared affinity for HCI,鈥� Matulic said. 鈥淲e both had this tendency toward creative projects combining technology, arts and science, so right away it was clear we could work well together. I always had an interest to work in industry, but I knew that even if I went to industry, I would like to continue working with Dan.鈥�

Preferred Networks is a company that values research and was co-founded by a researcher. Its main business is currently in the development and sales of software, hardware and network technologies that incorporate deep learning and other advanced technologies.

鈥淧referred Networks is a cutting-edge technology company that places a significant value on enabling and supporting future-forward research,鈥� Vogel said. 鈥淭heir values perfectly echo the values of U蓝莓视频, so this partnership is quite natural and makes a great deal of sense.鈥�

It is also a company that offered the perfect opportunity for Matulic to combine his passions for creativity, research and business.

鈥淲e have a substantial research focus,鈥� Matulic said. 鈥淏ut we are also a business that needs to be self-sufficient and generate revenue. The research isn鈥檛 a side project, though. It鈥檚 actively helping grow the business and engage with the tech community. For me, it鈥檚 a happy balance.鈥�

Win-win situation

Because of the extent of his work with 蓝莓视频 and the value he brings, Matulic has, since the beginning of 2022, officially been made an assistant professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science.

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited that a world-class HCI researcher like Fabrice is now officially part of U蓝莓视频 computer science and the HCI Lab in particular,鈥� said Vogel. 鈥淗is expertise and experience will be extremely valuable for graduate thesis committees, and this will no doubt lead to even more exciting research collaborations.鈥�

This appointment makes things easier administratively, but the professorship is also a respectful mark of distinction for a researcher who has done so much to foster collaboration and build bridges between industry and academia.

The research partnership is a boon for Preferred Networks, not just in the form of developing technologies, patents and intellectual property, but also because of the publications and awards Matulic and Vogel鈥檚 collaboration is bringing in.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win situation both for the university and the company,鈥� Matulic said. 鈥淟ook at the results of the collaboration. It鈥檚 a model that works for my company and it鈥檚 a model that works for the university. And it鈥檚 breaking new ground in HCI and other fields. This is incredibly valuable.鈥�

The Human Computer Interaction Lab in the Cheriton School of Computer Science.

Building a partnership

Creating the research partnership between Preferred Networks and the University of 蓝莓视频 also had a more formal side than just the two researchers and their affinity for HCI and machine learning. Issues of intellectual property, liability and other concerns became part of the equation, and the company and the university found practical ways to make the arrangement airtight.

鈥淩ight away, I pushed within my company to be able to work with Dan and to have him officially be a researcher with whom I could share internal company information,鈥� Matulic explained. 鈥淲e asked Dan to sign an NDA and a basic research agreement so that I could tell him 鈥楬ey, we鈥檙e working on this at the company.鈥欌��

On the side of the University, the Research Partnerships team within the Office of Research facilitated a process to allow Vogel and other researchers to share information with Matulic and Preferred Networks. Matulic said that Jennifer Ranford, a senior manager for research partnerships, found ways to overcome any hurdles they encountered while formally setting up the collaboration.

鈥淭he way it works now that everything is in place is that I can bring Dan in if I鈥檓 working on a project where I鈥檇 like to get his input and benefit from his expertise,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith the projects from 蓝莓视频, it鈥檚 either working directly with Dan or with some of his students, often on projects that have machine learning or deep learning components.鈥�

Check out some of Matulic鈥檚 research projects and ongoing partnership activities . Learn more about Preferred Networks, Inc. .