Babak Abbaschian

Babak Abbaschian is a distinguished technology executive holding a Ph.D. in Machine Learning and AI. Throughout his career, from startups and small companies to enterprise corporates, he has demonstrated exceptional leadership in spearheading transformative projects and driving innovation in the tech industry. With over 15 years of experience as a leader, technologist, and data scientist, Babak possesses exceptional machine learning, signal processing, and data mining expertise. He has a proven track record of successfully implementing digital transformation projects, integrating machine learning, data-driven predictive analysis, marketing automation, natural language processing, recommendation systems, and operational business process automation. For example, as Senior Director of Data Strategy and Analytics of the Churchill Downs, home of the legendary Kentucky Derby, he has orchestrated a monumental machine learning and data-driven digital transformation. This unprecedented initiative contributed to an impressive YoY revenue growth of 10%, 10%, and 20% during challenging economic times and the pandemic. Babak's commitment to staying at the forefront of emerging technologies enables him to provide businesses with efficient and effective solutions. His unparalleled problem-solving skills and innovative mindset have consistently delivered high-quality results in machine learning, big data, and software development projects. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Babak is an avid researcher dedicated to applying AI and machine learning to enhance human-centered computing. His passion for exploration has led him to conduct groundbreaking field research in speech recognition, recommendation systems, and reinforcement learning. In addition to his remarkable industry experience, Babak's commitment to education and mentorship is evident through his tenure as an academic instructor. He has taught programming, database design, and human-computer interaction courses, empowering the next generation of technologists. Babak Abbaschian's exceptional leadership, technological acumen, and dedication to advancing AI and machine learning make him a true trailblazer in the field and an invaluable asset to any organization.