Fall 2018 Physics Careers Series Concludes on Oct. 26 with Alumnus Sean Vig From Uber ATG

10/18/2018 6:14:53 AM

Lance Cooper

The Fall 2018 Physics Careers seminar series concludes on Friday, October 26, 2018 with alumnus Dr. Sean Vig from Uber Advanced Technologies Group:

Time: 11 a.m. on Friday, October 26, 2018 (refreshments served at 10:30 a.m.)

Location: 204 Loomis Laboratory

Title: Building Autonomy After Grad School: Working in Self-Driving Software at Uber ATG

Speakers: Dr. Sean Vig, Autonomy Engineer, Uber Advanced Technologies Group

Abstract: Challenges facing the development of self-driving cars require applying software engineering fundamentals to modeling, data analysis, and understanding the interplay of many complex systems, all skills that physicists carry in spades. In this talk, I will give a brief history of Uber ATG and describe all of the moving pieces that are involved in realizing the goal of autonomous vehicles, with a focus on my work in mapping, highlighting some of the opportunities well suited for those coming from physics. I will also discuss my personal experience working at Uber ATG on the AVMaps team and share my thoughts and recommendations for those looking to make the move into software.

Bio: Sean Vig currently works as an Autonomy Engineer in the Uber Advanced Technologies Group, the division focused on developing, building, and deploying self-driving technologies. Sean's particular focus is on the autonomous vehicle mapping team, where he works on the algorithms and models that perform the semantic lift from raw sensor data to the high definition maps required for autonomous driving. Before coming to Uber, Sean received his PhD for his work under Peter Abbamonte developing and applying electron spectroscopy to understanding many-body systems.

Dr. Vig will be available for meetings with students on Friday, Oct. 26, so if you're interested in meeting with him to discuss opportunities at Uber ATG or in industry in general, contact Lance Cooper and I'll try to arrange a meeting.

You can see the rest of the Fall 2018 Physics Careers Seminar series here: http://physics.illinois.edu/calendar/careers/