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Research Quick Takes

The three study coauthors

Nov 20, 2025

Toward Optimal Auctions

PhD student Mai Pham, will present her paper, coauthored with professors Vikrant Vaze and Peter Chin, titled "Advancing Differentiable Mechanism Design: Neural architectures for combinatorial auctions" for a workshop at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems. Although auctions are considered an effective way of allocating limited resources when demand is high, designing auctions that are simultaneously optimal for the participants, system operator, and greater society is challenging. The paper presents a new approach that leverages modern deep learning architectures and algorithms to meet this challenge.

Becca Thomson accepting her awards

Nov 20, 2025

TERMIS-AM Conference Winner

Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Founder and CEO of NovaGyn Becca Thomson '20 Th'21 Th'25 attended the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society Americas Conference in Detroit. There she was a finalist in the Business Plan Competition and winner of the $1,000 People's Choice Award and $2,000 Judges' Award. "Winning these awards was an incredible honor and a huge validation for NovaGyn's mission of advancing surgical solutions in women's health," said Thomson. "I'm thrilled that our innovative approach to tissue engineering resonated with both experts and the community. This recognition motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries of regenerative medicine and bring meaningful solutions to patients worldwide." 

Yanqiao Li at Blueprint Showcase

Nov 13, 2025

Research Startup Showcase

Postdoc researcher Yanqiao Li Th'25, advised by Professor Jason Stauth, presented his startup, uDrive, at The Engine's Blueprint Showcase in Boston—the culmination of a program that helps researchers build "tough tech" startups. Leveraging Li's PhD research at Thayer, uDrive develops technologies for next-generation haptics and compact cooling solutions for mobile devices. Smartphones currently use basic haptics [vibrations] for notifications," Li explained. "High-definition haptics, enabled by new piezoelectric actuators, can do much more—such as allowing you to feel the texture of clothes while shopping online. The widespread adoption of this technology, however, is currently limited by a lack of high-voltage, energy-efficient electronics. Our startup is bridging this gap."

Bruno Miranda Henrique

Nov 13, 2025

Measuring Human-AI Trust

PhD student Bruno Miranda Henrique gave a presentation that won the research award for the graduate division in math and computer science at this year's International Forum on Research Excellence (IFoRE) by Sigma Xi. His research, titled "Dynamic Trust Calibration Using Contextual Bandits," addresses the need for a definitive and objective method for measuring trust between humans and AI. "Our indicator dynamically assesses when to trust AI contributions based on learned contextual information," reads the abstract. "These findings not only enhance theoretical understanding but also provide practical guidance for developing more trustworthy AI systems supporting decisions in critical domains, for example, disease diagnoses and criminal justice."

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