IEEE CS Webinar: IEEE Oregon Section Technical Seminar - Beyond Games: Real-World Applications of (Deep) Reinforcement Learning
Guest Speaker: Dr. Banafsheh Rekabdar, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Portland State University
Venue: Online
When: December 11th 6-7 pm
We hope to have you for another interesting talk by one of the experts that we invite from academia, industry, and government.
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* For the abstract and biography of the speaker, please refer to the speakers section below.
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Sohrab Aftabjahani, PhD
IEEE Oregon Section Computer Society Chapter Chair
Senior IEEE Member, Senior ACM Member
aftabjahani[AT-Sign]ieee.org
- Starts 09 December 2025 01:00 PM UTC
- Ends 12 December 2025 01:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Banafsheh Rekabdar
Beyond Games: Real-World Applications of (Deep) Reinforcement Learning
Abstract:
Reinforcement learning (RL) is usually introduced through games and simulations, but many real-world problems also involve sequential decisions under uncertainty. In this talk, I will present three applications of RL in practical machine learning systems. First, I will discuss how RL can be used for time-series anomaly detection, where an agent learns to balance missed anomalies and false alarms over time. Second, I will describe multimodal RL in the presence of adversarial noise, and how robustness issues arise when combining signals from different data sources. Finally, I will show how (deep) RL can be applied to group recommendation systems, where the goal is to optimize long-term engagement while accounting for diverse user preferences within a group. Throughout the talk, the focus will be on the high-level ideas, design choices, and lessons learned, rather than algorithmic details. I will highlight common challenges across these projects—such as reward design, stability, and evaluation—and discuss open questions for deploying RL in real-world settings.
Biography:
Banafsheh Rekabdar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Portland State University and Director of the PSU AI Research Lab. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence and applied machine learning, with a particular emphasis on reinforcement learning and generative AI. Her work has been supported by a variety of leading companies and agencies. She is the recipient of several honors, including the 2025 NASA MPLAN Prize, multiple Best Paper Awards, the 2024 David E. Wedge Award for Excellence in Diversity, and the 2023 Medical Research Foundation New Investigator Award. Dr. Rekabdar has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and serves on editorial boards and program committees for leading AI venues. She is also committed to mentorship and broadening participation in computing, supervising Ph.D., M.S., undergraduate, and high school researchers, and organizing outreach activities to engage young people in AI.
Brought to you by Computer Society - Oregon Chapter .
* Please contact Sohrab Aftabjahani , IEEE Oregon Computer Society Chapter Chair, if you are interested to serve as an officer for this chapter as a few officer positions are open.