Dr. Suman Jana

Biography

Suman Jana is an Associate Professor at the Data Science Institute of Columbia University, specializing in the intersection of security and machine learning. His research focuses on the security issues that arise from deploying machine learning systems in safety-critical domains such as self-driving cars, automated passenger screening, and medical diagnosis. Prof. Jana has made significant contributions to the field, particularly concerning the potential risks and failures associated with machine learning systems in rare corner case scenarios. For example, he studied the tragic incident involving a Tesla autonomous vehicle that failed to detect a white truck against a bright sky, highlighting the need for rigorous testing and verification in machine learning systems under rare environmental conditions. He is dedicated to developing effective tools and techniques that identify and mitigate corner-case vulnerabilities, ensuring the safety and security of machine learning applications.

Research Interests