MSc&T Alumni - PhD candidate in Computer Vision and Machine Learning

Could you please introduce yourself?

My name is Anh-Quan Cao, I am from Vietnam. I came to France in 2018 to join a Master program in Data Science at Telecom Paris. In 2019, I was admitted to the Artificial Intelligence & advanced Visual Computing (AI-VIS) Master program at Ecole Polytechnique. Now, I am doing a PhD at Inria Paris in Computer Vision and Machine Learning.

Could you please tell us more about your current position?

Thanks to the AI-VIS master, I got an internship at Valeo.ai where I was lucky to have a chance to publish my first publication at ICCV 2021 which is one of the top conferences in computer vision and machine learning. At the end of the internship, I was accepted as a PhD student at Inria, Paris on the same topic. Inria is famous worldwide in the field of computer science. The working environment here is amazing, I work state-of-the-art with cutting-edge equipment. I am also very fortunate to have an excellent supervisor and wonderful colleagues. I am full of joy every day.

My current research is focused on 3D scene understanding from images i.e. reconstructing the 3D world from camera image. It has great value for mobile robots such as self-driving cars since it reduce the needs of expensive 3D sensor.

Was it easy for you to find a job once you graduated?

Yes, it was easy, as I got the PhD even before I graduated since the internship went very well. The topic of the internship is aligned with the content of my master program so I was equipped with all necessary skills and knowledge to succeed. Furthermore, the fact that the master is organized by amazing faculty and researchers, such as Prof. Marie-Paule Cani, help me significantly to get attraction.

What skills gained during your MSc&T have you been using in your current position?

Since the PhD topic is well aligned with the AI-VIS master curriculum, all the skills I learned during the master are very useful to me. One thing that I am very thankful for is the good mix of both practical and theoretical skills in the program e.g. reading research papers, programming, working with others… so that I am productive since the first day of my internship and PhD.

What do you like in your work?

I love my current job as I mentioned above for several reasons:

- Well-known institute.

- Amazing supervisor and colleagues.

- Cutting-edge equipment.

- Hot topics

Do you think your diploma and the name of Ecole Polytechnique are assets to find a job?

Absolutely, but it’s not only the name. There are many other important manners:

- Good curriculum that teaches both practical and theoretical skills.

- Professors at Ecole Polytechnique are well-known.

- Connection of Ecole Polytechnique with other research labs and industry.

What memories do you have of your time spent at l'X and in your MSc&T?

I still remember the moment when I was preparing a project with one student from l’X. I was super impressed by how kind, patient and intelligent he is. The professors are really nice too. I still remember clearly the compliment and praise from Prof. Marie-Paule Cani when I did well on a project in her course.

What are your ambitions for the future?

I want to be a great researcher in the future. I hope that I can find something useful which I can create a company with.