SparkCognition Adds Leading Artificial Intelligence Researcher and Academic, Dr. Bruce Porter, as Chief Science Officer
Austin, TX (PRWEB) March 28, 2017 -- SparkCognition, the world’s first cognitive security analytics company, is pleased to announce the addition of professor and chairman of the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Texas Austin, Dr. Bruce Porter, as its Chief Science Officer. Porter will continue as Computer Science Chair and AI Faculty at UT, in addition to joining the SparkCognition executive team. Porter’s primary research and teaching focus on knowledge representation and automated question answering adds even more technical capabilities, expertise, and experience to this fast growing AI company.
“I have known and worked with Dr. Porter for years, first as a student in his class room, and now collaborating on the development of the industry’s leading artificial intelligence applications,” said SparkCognition CEO Amir Husain. “Dr. Porter has added so much value to our efforts over the years as an advisor. It is wonderful now to get to work with him as member of the SparkCognition executive team.”
Bruce Porter is professor of the Department of Computer Sciences at the University of Texas Austin, where he has been Chair of the Department since 2008. He is also head of the UT Knowledge Systems Research Group. In 2003, Dr. Porter and his research group built the top-performing chemistry knowledge base in the Project Halo competition, building a system that achieved a passing grade on AP chemistry questions. Subsequently, Porter and his group did fundamental research on programs to enable computers to read texts and answer questions.
For many years, Porter has been involved with program committees and numerous conferences including the National Conference on Artificial Intelligence, the Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence conference, and the International Knowledge Capture conference. He was the Chair of the Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence conference in 2006 and co-chair of the National Conference on Artificial Intelligence in 2000.
“As a researcher and academic, I have the privilege of working with the leading edge concepts, ideas and individuals in artificial intelligence. I am most excited about joining SparkCognition because of its unparalleled innovation,” said Porter. “The team at SparkCognition is deploying the most advanced AI applications in the industries they serve, and they take the technology seriously. I’ve known Amir for over 21 years. His passion for advancing AI and his drive to constantly innovate has created a dedication thoughout the company to creating the best technology possible. It is an honor to join him and SparkCognition. I am excited to be part of this world-changing organization.”
The addition of Professor Porter follows the recent announcement of leading advisor to US Departments of Defense, Treasury, State, Justice, Dr. David Asher, joining SparkCognition as EVP of Strategy. Last June, the company announced the addition of General John R. Allen (USMC Ret.), former commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), deputy commander of US CENTCOM and most recently Special Envoy to the President, to the SparkCognition board of directors.
"Bringing Dr. Bruce Porter to SparkCognition as Chief Science Officer adds even more fire power to a team rich with AI and industry expertise,” said Manoj Saxena, Chair of SparkCognition’s Board of Directors and former general manager of IBM Watson. “Adding Dr. Porter will accelerate our technology and innovation, building on the strong client traction with world’s largest energy and financial services companies.“
Often published, Porter has been awarded with Best Paper Award, National Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI); the College of Natural Sciences Teaching Excellence Award and Presidential Young Investigator Award by the National Science Foundation; and t he President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award. Porter will continue his role at University of Texas, while serving as Chief Science Officer at SparkCognition.
SparkCognition has established itself as a machine learning technology leader in cybersecurity, with business-critical solutions in place for customers in energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, and finance.
About SparkCognition
SparkCognition is a global leader in cognitive computing analytics. The company develops AI-Powered cyber-physical software for the safety, security, and reliability of IT, OT, and IIoT. The company’s technology is capable of harnessing real time sensor data and learning from it continuously, allowing for more accurate risk mitigation and prevention policies to intervene and avert disasters. In less than three years since launching its solution, the company has acquired dozens of major clients, including multiple Fortune 100 and Fortune 1,000 organizations. For more information on the company, its technology and team, please visit http://www.sparkcognition.com.
Laura Beck, SparkCognition, http://www.sparkcognition.com, +1 (512) 786-1098, [email protected]
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