Dr. Aparna Taneja works at Google Research in India on innovative projects driving real-world social impact. Her team collaborates with an NGO called ARMMAN with the mission to improve maternal and child health outcomes in underserved communities of India. Prior to Google she was a Post-Doc at Disney Research, Zurich, and has a PhD from the Computer Vision and Geometry Group in ETH Zurich and a Bachelor's in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Time stamps of the conversation
00:00:46 Introductions
00:01:20 Background and Interest in AI
00:03:59 Satellite imaging and AI at Google
00:08:30 Multi-Agent systems for social impact - part of AI for social good
00:10:30 Awareness of AI benefits in non-tech fields
00:13:42 Project SAHELI - improving maternal and child health using AI
00:20:05 Intuition for methodology 
00:22:07 Measuring impact on health
00:27:42 Challenges when working with real-world data
00:32:58 Problem scoping and defining research statements
00:38:16 Disconnect between tech and non-tech communities while collaborating
00:43:22 What motivates you, the theoretical or application side of research
00:47:17 What research skills are a must when working on real-world challenges using AI
00:50:33 Factors considered before doing a PhD
00:54:08 Significance of Ph.D. for research roles in the industry
00:58:15 Choosing industry vs Academia
01:02:38 Managing personal life with a research career
01:07:58 Advice to young students interested in AI on getting started

Learn more about Aparna here: https://research.google/people/106890/
Research: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=XtMi1L0AAAAJ&hl=en

About the Host:
Jay is a Ph.D. student at Arizona State University.
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