Russ Salakhutdinov

Ruslan Salakhutdinov is a Canadian researcher of Tatar origin specialising in artificial intelligence. He is currently the Vice President of Research in Generative AI at Meta, a position he has held since June 2024. In this role, his work focuses on multimodal large language models (LLMs) and AI agents. He also holds the position of UPMC Professor of Computer Science in the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University, a role he has held since February 2016.

Salakhutdinov received his PhD in 2009 from the University of Toronto, where his doctoral advisor was Geoffrey Hinton. His early research on deep belief networks made a significant impact in the field of deep learning. Following his PhD, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at MIT. He later became an assistant professor at the University of Toronto from 2011 to 2016 before joining Carnegie Mellon.

Between 2016 and 2020, Salakhutdinov served as the Director of AI Research at Apple. He co-founded Perceptual Machines, a company that was acquired by Apple in 2016. His research interests include deep learning, probabilistic graphical models, and large-scale optimisation.

Throughout his career, he has published numerous influential papers and contributed significantly to areas such as reinforcement learning, multimodal learning, and contrastive learning. He has received several awards, including the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the Nvidia Pioneers of AI award, and is a Senior Fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR).

In addition to his research, he serves as an action editor for the Journal of Machine Learning Research and has been on senior programme committees for leading AI conferences like NeurIPS and ICML. Salakhutdinov's work continues to advance the field of machine learning and AI.

Ruslan Salakhutdinov, born around 1980, is a Canadian researcher of Tatar origin, widely known for his contributions to the field of artificial intelligence, particularly in deep learning, probabilistic graphical models, and large-scale optimisation. His early interest in AI-led him to pursue a PhD at the University of Toronto, where he worked under the supervision of Geoffrey Hinton, one of the pioneers of deep learning. Salakhutdinov completed his PhD in 2009, and during this period, his work on deep belief networks gained recognition for advancing machine learning techniques.

After completing his PhD, Salakhutdinov spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) from 2009 to 2011. Following his postdoctoral research, he returned to the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor in both the Departments of Statistics and Computer Science from July 2011 until February 2016. His research during this time focused on deep learning and probabilistic models, laying the foundation for many modern AI systems.

In 2015, Salakhutdinov co-founded Perceptual Machines, a company focusing on AI technologies, which was later acquired by Apple. Following the acquisition, he joined Apple as the Director of AI Research from November 2016 to January 2020. At Apple, he was responsible for leading key AI initiatives and research in machine learning, contributing to significant advancements in the company's AI capabilities.

In February 2016, Salakhutdinov joined Carnegie Mellon University as the UPMC Professor in the Machine Learning Department. At CMU, he continues to contribute to academic research, focusing on deep learning, reinforcement learning, and AI systems. His work at CMU has produced a large body of research, with notable contributions to areas such as contrastive learning, multimodal systems, and reinforcement learning techniques. He has also been involved in publishing numerous papers and serving as an action editor for the Journal of Machine Learning Research. He has been a part of the senior programme committees for major AI conferences, including NeurIPS and ICML.

In addition to his academic career, Salakhutdinov has published influential works like Probabilistic Matrix Factorization and Reducing the Dimensionality of Data with Neural Networks. His research has been cited extensively in the academic community, marking his influence on the broader AI field. Some of his highly cited works include "Dropout: A Simple Way to Prevent Neural Networks from Overfitting" and "Siamese Neural Networks for One-Shot Image Recognition." His work has been pivotal in pushing forward both theoretical and applied machine learning research.

In June 2024, Salakhutdinov took on a new role as Vice President of Research in Generative AI at Meta (formerly Facebook), where he focuses on developing multimodal large language models (LLMs) and AI agents. This work aims to advance AI’s ability to process and generate multiple forms of data, such as text, images, and video, within a unified model. His contributions to AI remain influential as he continues to shape the future of machine learning at one of the world’s leading technology companies.

Throughout his career, Salakhutdinov has received several prestigious awards, including the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and Nvidia’s Pioneers of AI award. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), further solidifying his position as a leading figure in the AI research community. His work continues to drive progress in the development of AI technologies and their applications in industry and academia.

Ruslan Salakhutdinov’s vision focuses on advancing artificial intelligence to solve complex problems in real-world applications. He aims to create AI systems that are not only efficient but also capable of learning and adapting in ways similar to humans. His work on deep learning, large-scale optimisation, and multimodal AI seeks to bridge the gap between human cognition and machine intelligence. Salakhutdinov envisions a future where AI can process and understand diverse forms of data seamlessly, enhancing decision-making, automation, and innovation across industries. His research continues to push the boundaries of AI's potential for societal and technological impact.

Ruslan Salakhutdinov has received several notable awards and recognitions for his contributions to artificial intelligence. He was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, acknowledging his early career achievements in AI research. He also received Nvidia's Pioneers of AI award for his significant work in deep learning and machine learning. In addition, Salakhutdinov is a Senior Fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), further recognising his leadership in the AI field. These awards highlight his influential role in advancing AI technologies and his continued impact on both academic and industry research.