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Nandhini Swaminathan

PhD Candidate @ UC San Diego, Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute

MS in Computer Science @ UC San Diego, Computer Science and Engineering

Bachelors in Instrumentation and Control Engineering @ NIT-Tiruchirapalli,

Minor in Computer Science

Website in progress!

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About Me





I am a Ph.D. student in the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute at UC San Diego advised by Dr. David Danks. My research focuses on the design, development, and governance of AI systems by advancing techniques for fairness, bias mitigation, and the ethical deployment of machine learning systems.

I approach these challenges using tools from game theory, reinforcement learning, and AI safety, with an emphasis on building adaptive, accountable systems that function effectively in dynamic and uncertain environments.

I am currently seeking internships in both industry and academia. My goal is to continue conducting sociotechnical research that supports the ethical and responsible deployment of AI and machine learning systems.

Skills

Languages: Python, R, C++, C#, LaTeX, HTML/CSS
Tools & Platforms: GitHub, Notion, Unix
ML Tools: Keras, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn
Applications: LaTeX, Notion, GitHub
Research Areas: Machine Learning, Human-Centered Design, Policy and Game Theory

Selected Publications

Governing ethical gaps in distributed AI development

Nandhini Swaminathan, David Danks.
Digital Society, 3(1), 7.

AI, pluralism, and (social) compensation

Nandhini Swaminathan, David Danks.
Pluralistic Alignment Workshop at NeurIPS.

Application of the NIST AI Risk Management Framework to surveillance technology

Nandhini Swaminathan, David Danks.
arXiv preprint.

Identification and Mitigating Bias in Quantum Machine Learning

Nandhini Swaminathan, David Danks.
IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE)

Transfer: Deep inductive network for facial emotion recognition

Arpita Gupta, Nandhini Swaminathan, Ramadakrishnan Balakrishnan.
Journal of Mechanics of Continua and Mathematical Sciences, 15(7), 352.

Scholarships & Awards

LWT Summit Scholarship

Recipient (2024)

Awarded a competitive scholarship to attend the flagship LWT Summit, recognizing potential and contributions to the tech community.

Runner-up, Infinity Hackathon

Cognizant (May 2022)

Achieved second place in the annual competition organized in association with Cognizant, demonstrating exceptional technical and problem-solving capabilities in a high-pressure environment.

MLH Fellow

Major League Hacking (June – August 2021)

Selected for a 12-week intensive internship alternative, sponsored by Meta and GitHub, focusing on Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) and DevOps.

Delegate, Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR)

Harvard University (January 2021)

Chosen to join 300 international students and young professionals at a conference focused on key issues in the Asia region, including foreign policy, technology, and science.

Certified Junior Associate, Java SE Programmer

Oracle

Achieved a score of 98.6% on the Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE Programmer test.

Leadership and Service

ACM US Technology Policy Committee (USTPC)

Executive Committee Member (2023–current)

Contribute to technology policy discussions and initiatives within the ACM.

Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (CSW), UCSD

Committee Member (2023–2025)

Advise the Chancellor on issues related to gender equity and the status of women at UC San Diego.

DEI Committee, UCSD CSE

Committee Member (2023–2024)

Contributed to DEI initiatives to promote an inclusive environment within the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Represented the department at external DEI conferences and collaborated on programs supporting underrepresented groups in computing.

Illuminate (NGO)

Student Volunteer and Teacher (2019–2020)

Volunteered to teach and support educational programs for an NGO.

Writing

Get in Touch

I'm always open to discussing research, collaboration, or new opportunities. The best way to reach me is by email.

Email Me