Computer Vision News - January 2018

Noelia Vállez Computer Vision News 35 Women in Computer Vision Noelia, can you tell us about your current projects? I am currently involved in a few European projects: in Eyes of Things we are developing our reference platform for computer vision applications with the idea of obtaining a very small, powerful device at a low cost. It gives the users the ability to develop computer vision applications with free software. In the Bonseyes project we are creating a marketplace for deep learning, which is not really complex, but it’s a tedious task. We try to make it more visible to the users. What do you like about these projects? These are very challenging for me. I like to achieve new results or share my understanding of things with others. That’s why I think I don’t just enjoy programming. I wanted something more challenging. How did you end up in your position? I was studying for my degree in computer science. Then I started working part time with the VISILAB Group. There I did my final degree project before I did my Master’s degree project. Two years ago I also finished my PhD with this group. Would you prefer to work in the industry or stay in the academia? Well, I don’t know because I’ve never worked in the industry, but I have friends who do. I think I prefer academia. Do you see yourself staying in academia all of your life? I hope so. Do you want to teach? Yes, I like teaching. I also like researching. I would like to be a professor. What is the thing about teaching that most attracts you? I think sharing my knowledge and experience with the students. It depends on the students, of course. It’s not the same teaching a first level course and advanced courses. Why did you choose science? I used to hate history. That’s a very good reason! [ we both laugh ] I like studying language and literature, but I don’t like history. I would prefer something more technical, something that I can control. Is there anything in technology that you don’t enjoy? No... I like it. With technology, I like it all. Does it run in the family? My husband also studied computer science. When did you discover that you liked these kinds of subjects? I was thinking of working in a bank or something like that because I wanted to work with computers. At that time, I only saw computers in banks or these type of places. How old were you at that time? Maybe four or five. When did you come across computers again? Noelia Vállez is an assistant professor at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain and a PhD with experience in medical image processing and machine learning. Women in Science