Contact
Location
Elson, Room 189A 400 Brandon Ave
Visual Intelligence Laboratory Google Scholar

About

Stephen Baek is an Associate Professor of Data Science at the University of Virginia, where he also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Baek received his B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Seoul National University (SNU), Seoul, Korea in 2009 and a Ph.D. in 2013 from the same institution for his award-winning study on the statistical space of shapes modeled on a Riemannian manifold. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Advanced Machinery Design in SNU from 2013 to 2015 and a visiting research associate at the Ronald E. McNair Center for Aerospace Innovation and Research at the University of South Carolina in 2014. During his training, Baek received the National Science and Engineering Scholarship and the Global Ph.D. Fellowship from the Korean Ministry of Education. He was also awarded the Presidential Postdoc Fellowship from the President of the Republic of Korea. Prior to joining the University of Virginia, Baek spent 6 years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa.

Education

B.S. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, 2009

Ph.D. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University, 2013

President’s Postdoc Fellow, Institute for Advanced Machinery Design, 2013-2015

"Geometry plays a critical role in science and engineering. Our mission is to quantify the roles played by shapes through the lenses of machine learning."

Research Interests

Geometric Data Analysis
Statistical Shape Modeling & Analysis
Deep Learning on Non-Euclidean Domains
Data-driven Design and Engineering
Digital Human Modeling

Selected Publications

PARC: Physics-aware recurrent convolutional neural networks to assimilate meso scale reactive mechanics of energetic materials SCIENCE ADVANCES, 9(17): EADD6868. (2023)
ABS
Body shape matters: Evidence from machine learning on body shape-income relationship PLOS ONE, 16(7): E0254785. (2021)
ABS
Deep learning for synthetic microstructure generation in a materials-by-design framework for heterogeneous energetic materials https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-70149-0
ABS
ZerNet: Convolutional Neural Networks on Arbitrary Surfaces Via Zernike Local Tangent Space Estimation COMPUTER GRAPHICS FORUM, 39(6): 204-216. (2020)
ABS
Deep segmentation networks predict survival of non-small cell lung cancer SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 9: 17286. (2019)
ABS

Awards

Shannon Center Mid-Career Faculty Fellow 2023
Associate Editor, Journal of Computational Design and Engineering 2021
University of Iowa Supervisor of the Year Award 2021
Defense Innovation Award 2021
University of Iowa Innovator Award 2019
Old Gold Summer Fellowship 2018
Best Paper Award, International Conference on Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Constructed Infrastructure Facilities 2017
Delcam Korea Best Graduate Thesis Award 2014
Presidential Postdoc Fellowship 2014
Global Ph.D. Fellowship, Korean Ministry of Education 2011
Bronze Medal, Korea Software Awards 2009
National Science and Engineering Scholarship, Korean Ministry of Education 2005