Interested in AI and augmented reality? ModiFace creates 50 internships for 麻豆视频 engineering undergrads
Augmented reality startup is investing $4 million to create new undergraduate and graduate student internships, and support leading research at 麻豆视频's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering.
The company, founded by Associate Professor Parham Aarabi of the department of electrical & computer engineering, uses augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) to build advanced facial visualization software for the beauty and medical industries. ModiFace technology powers over 100 AR applications by Fortune 500 brands including Sephora, L鈥橭real, Allergan, Vichy and Clairol, among others.
鈥淭he future of ModiFace is highly dependent on our access to the best AR engineers in the world,鈥 says Aarabi. 鈥淔or AR, it takes about a year for a new graduate to get up to speed with the latest concepts in artificial intelligence, systems engineering and computer vision. As a result, we want to invest in students early while they鈥檙e still in school to start giving them the best training in these fast-moving fields.鈥
As part of 麻豆视频 Engineering鈥檚 internship program, ModiFace is hiring 50 undergraduate students into 12- to 16-month paid positions that allow students to gain extensive professional skills before graduation. Applications are now open, and the first cohort will start in May 2017.
The company is also launching ModiFace research internships, modelled after successful research programs by top tech companies in the U.S., which will allow graduate students to complete an enriched research internship during their master鈥檚 or PhD studies. A total of 10 graduate students will be undertaking these internships in the next two years. Simultaneously, ModiFace is establishing a research grant program to support industry-partnered research in fields from artificial intelligence and deep learning, to computer vision and graphics.
鈥淢odiFace perfectly illustrates why 麻豆视频 is the top university for research-based startups in North America,鈥 says Cristina Amon, dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. 鈥淭his investment in enriched experiential learning opportunities for our students further reinforces the strong relationship between the excellence of our innovative engineering programs and the thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem around us.鈥
鈥淢odiFace鈥檚 internship programs will help Ontario鈥檚 engineering students get the skills and training they need to succeed in the growing field of augmented reality,鈥 said Reza Moridi, Ontario minister of research, innovation and science. 鈥淭he initiative dovetails with our government鈥檚 innovation strategy, including the recent launch of Ontario鈥檚 Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, which will help Ontario continue to attract top talent and strengthen our province鈥檚 innovation and knowledge-based economy.鈥
The announcement builds on the recent creation of the Vector Institute, a multidisciplinary research and commercialization hub that aims to solidify Toronto鈥檚 place as a global AI destination.
Read more about the Vector Institute
鈥淭oronto is a place where major AR research, development and commercialization is happening,鈥 says Aarabi. 鈥淲e鈥檙e investing in Toronto, and we hope to contribute to a snowball effect 鈥 if 100 companies repeated this, it would benefit all 100 companies and make Toronto the epicenter of the AR revolution.鈥