We're standing stronger than a Mayan wall,
Even the mightiest of empires fall.
- Atom tha Immortal, “Palenque”
We are the AMISTAD Lab. We roll deep. Together we work on problems in theoretical machine learning, probability, statistics, and search, often proving impossibility results for learning. Our recent publications can be found here.
What does AMISTAD mean? In Spanish, amistad means “friendship,” which is an important aspect of our lab culture. There is the backcronym given at the top of the page, which alludes to the fact that machine learning and AI can be reduced to searches for small targets, a guiding focus of the research in our lab. Lastly, La Amistad was also the name of a 19th century slave ship (with an eponymous film based on the story, Amistad) taken over by those held captive, risking their lives in their fight for freedom. Their courage and struggle reminds us that rebellion and defying consensus, though always dangerous, can at times become necessary. Groundbreaking research always includes an aspect of rebellion. But rebellions can remain optimistic, generous, and loving pursuits of truth, of which amistad (friendship) is a reminder. We have hope; and in the words of Jyn Erso, rebellions are built on hope.
Rogues' Gallery
Laurie Luo
Vectorization of Bias
Persistent, intelligent, poised, and powerful. Also funny, like so funny.
hluo@g.hmc.edu
Camilo Morales
Learning Regress
7 foot frame, math along his track, with a fact-filled brain, I'm glad to have him back.
camorales@g.hmc.edu
Lydia Yang
Simulating Science
Lydia is a lovely soul and undeniable project powerhouse.
lydyang@hmc.edu
Marina Kazarian
Simulating Science
Working with Marina is a bit like winning the research student lottery.
mkazarian@g.hmc.edu
Kishore Rajesh
Probabilistic Abduction
Kishore is a contender with even more untapped potential.
kirajesh@g.hmc.edu
Kerria Pang-Naylor
Probabilistic Abduction
It's clear she can carry a project to success, with minimal stress.
kpangnaylor@g.hmc.edu
Ian Li
Probabilistic Abduction
Ian's mind is constantly working and deriving fantastic insights.
ili@g.hmc.edu
Tanvika Dasari
Mutational Neighborhoods
Tanvika is EXACTLY the type of student you want in your lab.
tdasari@g.hmc.edu
Subi Lumala
Vectorization of Bias
Subi is a researcher on a trajectory to rise above.
slumala@g.hmc.edu
Vivian Tao
Mutable Architectures
A natural leader with plenty of intellectual gifts. Simply the real deal.
vtao@g.hmc.edu
Amy Zhong
Vectorization of Bias
Amy is AMISTAD Lab's secret weapon, whip sharp and hungry.
amzhong@hmc.edu
Rin Ha
Vectorization of Bias
Rin has a fire that burns through all research questions.
rha@g.hmc.edu
Eric Chen
Geometry of Bias
Capable and smart, Eric makes steady progress towards all goals.
erchen@g.hmc.edu
Olivia Yin
Vectorization of Bias
Olivia will get a description once she submits a picture.
oyin@g.hmc.edu
George D. Montañez
Lab Director
Just a curious mind swimming in a sea of peculiar observations.
gmontanez@g.hmc.edu
Members Emeriti
Amani Maina-Kilaas
Vectorization of Bias
Brains + Tech Chops + Great Attitude = Amani.
amainakilaas@hmc.edu
Cynthia Hom
Bias in Data
Intellectual intimidation has never before come in such a friendly package.
chom@g.hmc.edu
Shifa Somji
Mutational Neighborhoods
Shifa has the smarts to get ahead, and the confidence to chart her own path there.
ssomji@g.hmc.edu
Lucas Ewing
Generative Code Tooling
Lucas makes winning seem easy, due to all the work he's already put in.
lewing@g.hmc.edu
Nick Grisanti
Gopher Squad
A sharp kid, Nick is the life of the research party. His enthusiasm is unbounded.
ngrisanti@g.hmc.edu
Noah Nevens
Mutational Neighborhoods
Aiding our rebel alliance, Noah is a force to be reckoned with.
nnevens@g.hmc.edu
Kinjal Shah
Overfitting and Underfitting
A mathematical powerhouse with a keen mind and strong deductive powers.
kdshah@hmc.edu
Nathan Justin
Team Lead - ML as Search
Boldness, positivity, and brilliance: Nathan is the real deal.
njustin@g.hmc.edu
Pedro Sandoval Segura
Overfitting and Underfitting
A beautiful soul who appreciates the beauty of mathematics.
psando@cs.umd.edu
Meg Kaye
Generalization Bounds
A burst of brilliance and energy, pursuing the deepest logical truths.
mkaye@g.hmc.edu
Nico Espinosa Dice
Generalization Bounds
Nico is no joke. An amazing level of smarts, clothed in quiet confidence.
nespinosadice@g.hmc.edu
Hana Ahmed
Chaos + Regularity
A multifaceted mind combined with ability and strength.
hahmed7816@scrippscollege.edu
Mek Jenrungrot
Team KDE
“Mek is a Legend.” — Actual student speaking of Mek.
mjenrungrot@g.hmc.edu
Vivaswat Ojha
ML as Search
Anyone who meets Viva never forgets having met Viva.
vmojha@g.hmc.edu
Jonan Rohi-Plueger
DFA Learnability
Take a look at his neuro-kinetics, they're way above normal.
jonanrohi.s.plueger@biola.edu
Dominique Macias
Team Lead - Overfitting and Underfitting
Strong mathematical ability and elegant proof mastery.
dmacias@g.hmc.edu
Julius Lauw
Capacity Estimation
Bright student with a drive to ask all the right questions.
julauw@g.hmc.edu
Dave Makhervaks
ML as Search
Quiet strength, with a confidence to strive and a hunger to learn.
dmakhervaks@g.hmc.edu
Jonathan Hayase
DFA Learnability
Rumor has it that Jon is pretty smart. That rumor is true.
jhayase@g.hmc.edu
Howard Deshong
DNA & DFAs
Bright, charismatic, kind, and humble. Howard shines.
hcdeshong@hmc.edu
Julia Vendemiatti
Overfitting and Underfitting
Julia's brain is just different. Don't expect to keep up with her.
jvendemiatti@g.hmc.edu
Akshay Trikha
Overfitting and Underfitting
A sense of wonder combined with an excitement for learning.
atrikha@hmc.edu
Rui-Jie Yew
DFA Learnability
Wisdom demonstrated through analytical strength and interpersonal empathy.
ruijieyew@gmail.com
Daniel Bashir
Team Lead - Overfitting and Underfitting
Well-rounded thinker with serious ML skills and deep understanding.
dbashir@hmc.edu
Tyler Sam
Overfitting and Underfitting
A self-motivated learner with precise reasoning and formal acuity.
tsam@g.hmc.edu
Priyanka Agarwal
Econ as Search
The only downside of having her in my lab was that she'd have to leave one day.
pagarwal@g.hmc.edu
Sonia Sehra
Team Lead - Underfitting Undecidability
Intrigued by the big questions and unafraid to search after their answers.
ssehra@g.hmc.edu
Laina Sanders
Econ as Search
Mathematically gifted and strong, Laina rises to meet any challenge.
lsanders@g.hmc.edu
Jarred Allen
Dependence and Consensus
Sharp and precise, like a scalpel used to peel a grape.
jaallen@g.hmc.edu
Cindy Lay
Dependence and Consensus
Encouragingly optimistic, dedicated, and ready for what comes next.
clay22@cmc.edu
Ramya Ramalingam
Generalization Bounds
Ramya is excellence in student form, a gift to our team.
rramalingam@g.hmc.edu
Kevin Ginta
Intention Perception
Kevin is an asset to any team he's on. Lucky for us, he's on ours.
kevin.ginta@biola.edu
Anisha Tandon
Two-Distribution Hypothesis Tests
Anisha has the wit, skill and cleverness to win. Watch out world.
atandon@g.hmc.edu
Sarah Embry
Algorithmic Search Framework
Sarah is intellectually and socially dominant in all situations.
sembry@g.hmc.edu
David Flores
Capacity Estimation
No need to worry, when you got smarts like David.
deflores@g.hmc.edu
Aditya Khant
Capacity Estimation
Aditya just gets it done, period. Making things happen is his specialty.
akhant@g.hmc.edu
Jerry Liang
Capacity Estimation
The all-American MVP, bringing order to chaos, with style and rigor.
jyliang@g.hmc.edu
Christian Garcia
Algorithmic Search Framework
Christian will make you laugh and make you think.
cfgarcia@g.hmc.edu
Eric Weiner
Representation Learning
Many seek to join AMISTAD, but AMISTAD sought to join Eric.
eweiner@g.hmc.edu
Laurel Newman
Two-Distribution Hypothesis Tests
Laurel was a researcher in the lab during spring of 2020.
lnewman@g.hmc.edu
Bill Zhu
Information Costs of Tasks
Bill will get a proper description once he submits a photo.
bzhu@g.hmc.edu
Winston Li
Two-Distribution Hypothesis Tests
Winston was a researcher in the lab during spring of 2020.
winsli@students.pitzer.edu
Kate Perkins
DFA Learnability
Kate was a researcher in the lab during summer of 2019.
kperkins@g.hmc.edu
Rose Liu
Overfitting and Underfitting
Rose was a researcher in the lab during spring of 2020.
roliu@g.hmc.edu
Jacinda Chen
Abductive Logic Theory
Jacinda couldn't stay long, but we're grateful for the time she spent.
jcchen@g.hmc.edu
Max Holloway
Chaos + Regularity
Not the mixed martial arts fighter, but still a champ.
mholloway@g.hmc.edu
Max Szostak
Abductive Logic Theory
We're maximizing the number of Max's in our lab, and each maximizes excellence.
mszostak@g.hmc.edu
Tim Lindsey
Bias in Data
Pursing all opportunities, while pursuing ultimate truth.
tim.lindsey@biola.edu
Allen Wu
Chaos + Regularity
The courage of a lioness with the insight of an academic.
alwu@g.hmc.edu
Lily Lin
Geometry of Bias
Lily has the intellectual firepower and work ethic to bring success.
lily.lin@biola.edu
Limnanthes Serafini
Geometry of Bias
AMISTAD Lab would absolutely choose Lim over many others.
lserafini@g.hmc.edu
Kyle Rong
Capacity Estimation
Advanced beyond his years, the precocious Rong is usually right.
krong@g.hmc.edu
Sophie Bekerman
Geometry of Bias
An ironclad intellect whose trenchant insight cuts through all confusion.
sbekerman@g.hmc.edu
Kelly Yang
Abductive Logic Theory
Kelly's intelligence is obvious, and her future promising.
kelyang@g.hmc.edu
Isabel Duan
Chaos + Regularity
Isabel brings unique talents to our team, to everyone's benefit.
iduan@g.hmc.edu
Anshul Kamath
Gopher Squad
Gliding past the competition, Anshul's always at the front of the pack.
akamath@g.hmc.edu
Kelly Hamamoto
Mutable Architectures
Kelly was a research student in the lab during Summer 2022.
khamamoto@g.hmc.edu
Alejandro Valdez Medina
Simulating Science
Alex brings a ton of talent to the team. He's going places.
alejandro.valdezmedina25@gmail.com
Joseph Lee
Mutable Architectures
Joseph is persistent and intelligent. He keeps going while others fade away.
jslee08@wm.edu
Alan Wu
Learning Theory
An intellectual beast. Alan knows what he wants and how to obtain it.
yulwu@g.hmc.edu
William Yik
Bias in Data
William is a rising star who's already blazing his own trail.
wyik@g.hmc.edu
Marina Ring
Mutable Architectures
When the going gets tough, Marina gets going. Creative, curious, and cognitive.
mring@g.hmc.edu
Sadie Zhao
Gopher Squad
Sadie's keen insights often save the day. She is truly a gift.
jzae2019@mymail.pomona.edu
Dan Fonseca
Mutable Architectures
Dan will get a description once he submits a picture.
dfonseca@g.hmc.edu
Carmel Pe'er
Learning Regress
Carmel was a research student in the lab during Summer 2022
cpeer@g.hmc.edu
Elana Elman
Learning Regress
Elana was a research student in the lab during Summer 2022.
eelman2@u.rochester.edu
Tiger Che
Learning Theory
He's got the eye of a scholar, despite his name. You're gonna see him soar.
tche@g.hmc.edu
Sahil Rane
Learning Theory
Competitive yet collaborative, gaining an edge at every opportunity.
srane@g.hmc.edu
Milo Knell
Learning Theory
A formidable combination of talent and curiosity. What can stop him?
mknell@g.hmc.edu
Forrest Bicker
Learning Theory
Persistent pursuer of probabilistic proofs and truths.
