Why MILAB?
At MILAB, our guiding philosophy is centered on collaboration, gratitude, and mutual growth. We are more than just a research laboratory; we are a community dedicated to advancing knowledge and fostering meaningful connections. Our commitment extends beyond the boundaries of academia, as we actively seek to assist and appreciate the invaluable contributions of our partners. To every participant in our projects, we extend a sincere thank you for your dedication and collaboration. As a lab, we prioritize the personal and professional development of our students, recognizing that their success is our success.
As the leader of MILAB, I have come to appreciate the profound impact of genuine gratitude and empathy in building strong, enduring relationships. Join us at MILAB, where your contributions are valued, and together, we cultivate an environment of support, collaboration, and shared success.
LAB MISSION: To propel the frontiers of machine learning, deep learning, biometrics, data collection, and data analytics, our laboratory is committed to pioneering research and development. Our team endeavors to deepen our insights into these disciplines by adopting cutting-edge methodologies for data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Our overarching objective is to cultivate a cadre of next-generation scholars and researchers capable of crafting academic, governmental, and industry-centric solutions with tangible real-world impact. As we embark on the journey of research and development, our disseminated works and solutions aspire to elevate the comprehension of emerging technologies within the broader research community. Emphasizing the potency of collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork, our laboratory is steadfast in fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all members of our research community
LAB OVERVIEW: The Multispectral Imagery Lab (MILAB) engages in comprehensive research, development, evaluation, and testing of multi-modal and multi-spectral data processing technologies aimed at addressing national security challenges. Our primary research competencies encompass diverse areas such as data collection activities, computer vision, machine and deep learning, data analytics, computational modeling, data visualization, image restoration, signal and image processing, and computer science. MILAB’s initiatives entail cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in collaboration with other research groups, partnerships with private industry and academic institutions nationwide, and specialized support for national security sponsors. The ethos of MILAB is grounded in a culture of respect, diversity, curiosity, and a commitment to discovery.
LAB EXPERTISE
Biometrics: Data Collection: Extensive data collection activities using any modality and at any condition. Algorithmic Development: Design and development of within-spectral and cross-spectral matching techniques while using visible, SWIR and thermal images of different biometric traits.We are also working on developing face, eye, nose, ear detection techniques that can operate when using images captured at any band. See details on our publications page.
Forensics: We have been working on the problem of restoring severely degraded images such as images scanned from passport photos or images subjected to fax compression, down-scaling and printing. Some of our expertise are image de-noising, in-painting, de-blurring and super-resolution.
Computational Physiology: we have expertise on two main areas: (i) extracting, processing and analyzing human-based physiological signals (including ECG) and (ii) bio-imaging data collection, processing and analysis using computer vision and machine learning algorithms.
Funding: Since 2010, the Multispectral Imagery Lab (MILab) has actively engaged in numerous artificial intelligence, computer vision, and data analytics based research initiatives. These projects have been funded by esteemed entities such as the Department of Defense – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DoD-DARPA), Department of Defense – Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DoD-DTRA), Department of Defense – Army Research Laboratory (DoD-ARL), Department of Defense – Office of Naval Research (DoD-ONR), Department of Defense – Defense Acquisition Challenge (DoD-DAC), United States Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Center for Identification Technology Research (CITeR), which is recognized as a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center.
Students: Currently, MILab has several graduate and undergraduate students. Many GRA MILAB students have graduated and found excellent jobs.
Impact: MILab has contributed significantly to scholarly literature, disseminating research findings through the publication of numerous books, book chapters, journal articles, magazines, conference papers, and patents. Thirimachos Bourlai, the founder and director of MILab, has received invitations to present, chair, and/or moderate at over 250 national and international events. This increasing number serves as a testament to MILab’s distinguished reputation and the widespread recognition of its impactful research contributions.