Data Science Lab @ MSU

School of Computing, College Of Science And Mathematics, Montclair State University

CCIS_building.jpg

Data Science Lab -- Rm 318

Center for Computing & Information Science

Montclair State University

The Data Science Lab (DSL) is a vibrant research hub dedicated to pushing the boundaries of data-driven technologies. Led by a team of renowned faculty members, the lab brings together talented graduate and undergraduate students passionate about unlocking the potential of data science.

Our research focuses on three core areas: data mining, natural language processing (NLP), and distributed systems. In the realm of data mining, we develop innovative algorithms and techniques to uncover valuable insights from vast and complex datasets. From pattern recognition to predictive modeling, our work aims to transform raw data into actionable knowledge across various domains, including healthcare, finance, and social sciences.

In the field of NLP, we explore the intricacies of human language and develop cutting-edge models to enhance human-computer interaction. Our research spans sentiment analysis, machine translation, text summarization, and dialogue systems. By leveraging deep learning and transfer learning approaches, we strive to create intelligent systems that can understand, interpret, and generate human language with unprecedented accuracy and fluency.

Our distributed systems research tackles the challenges of scalability, fault tolerance, and performance in large-scale data processing and storage. We design and implement novel architectures, algorithms, and frameworks to enable efficient and reliable distributed computing. From big data processing platforms to cloud computing and edge computing paradigms, our work enables seamless handling of massive datasets and real-time data streams.

The DSL fosters a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment where faculty and students engage in cutting-edge research, publish in top-tier conferences and journals, and collaborate with industry partners to translate research into real-world impact. Our state-of-the-art facilities, including high-performance computing clusters and advanced data visualization tools, provide the necessary infrastructure to support our research endeavors.

We actively seek motivated individuals who share our passion for data science and intelligent systems. Whether you are a prospective graduate student, an undergraduate researcher, or an industry collaborator, we invite you to explore our research projects, publications, and opportunities to join our dynamic team. Together, we aim to shape the future of data-driven technologies and make significant contributions to the field of data science.

news

Apr 11, 2025 We are thrilled to announce that our Montclair State University team “Next-Gen Tech Thinkers” has won the 1st prize in the nationwide RAISE-2025 Data Science competition hosted by Rutgers University, NJ. This marks an outstanding achievement as MSU students have claimed the top honor for two consecutive years!
The winning team consists of:
  • Students: Blessing Austin-Gabriel, Ernest Chianumba, Shibbir Ahmed Arif, Cristian Noriega, and Keerthana Gajari
  • Faculty Mentors: Dr. Aparna Varde and Dr. Hao Liu
  • Team Name: Next-Gen Tech Thinkers
Competition Details:
  • Event: RAISE-2025 Student Data Science/Informatics Competition- Venue: Rutgers University, NJ, Bloustein School - Master of Public Informatics
  • Topic: “Our Future with AI: Utopian or Dystopian?”
  • Participants: Accredited US Institutions
  • Duration: February 15 to April 11, 2025
  • Track: Graduate Students - Award: $1,000 per team member (total $5,000)

Our students demonstrated exceptional dedication and innovative thinking throughout this prestigious competition. As mentors, we are immensely proud of their hard work and intellectual contributions.
Next-Gen Tech Thinkers won the 1st Prize in the Graduate Track at the nationwide RAISE-2025 competition
You can watch the presentation on Youtube.
Please join us in congratulating Team Next-Gen Tech Thinkers on this great achievement and for continuing MSU’s tradition of excellence in data science!
Apr 26, 2024 Congratulations to our students Anand Gopeekrishnan and Shibbir Ahmed Arif on the awesome poster presentation at the Student Research Symposium and congratulations to their mentor, Dr. Hao Liu. Well done!!!!!
  • Students: Anand Gopeekrishnan and Shibbir Ahmed Arif
  • Mentor: Dr. Hao Liu
  • Event: Student Research Symposium
  • Venue: Montclair State University
  • Topic: Accelerating Patient Screening for Clinical Trials using Large Language Model Prompting

Our students put in immense efforts on this project & we were happy to guide them through their journey. Please join us in congratulating the presenters!
Anand Gopeekrishnan and Shibbir Ahmed Arif present their poster at the Student Research Symposium
Happy to share this announcement with all of you!
Apr 19, 2024 We are delighted to announce that our students Isabele, Anand, Ramy and Ola of Team Machine Minds won the 1st Prize in the Graduate Track at the nationwide RAISE-2024 competition hosted by Rutgers University, NJ. Details are as follows.
  • Students: Isabele Bittencourt, Anand Gopeekrishnan, Ramy Othman, Ola Suaifan
  • Mentors: Dr. Aparna Varde and Dr. Hao Liu
  • Team Name: Machine Minds
  • Competition: RAISE-2024 Student Data Science / Informatics Competition
  • Venue: Rutgers University, NJ, Bloustein School - Master of Public Informatics
  • Topic: Does News Media Spread Fear of AI?
  • Participants: Accredited US institutions
  • Duration: Feb 15 to Apr 19, 2024
  • Track: Graduate Students
  • Cash Prize: $1000 per winning team student (total $4000)

Our students put in immense efforts on this project & we were happy to guide them through their journey. Please join us in congratulating Team Machine Minds!
Team Machine Minds won the 1st Prize in the Graduate Track at the nationwide RAISE-2024 competition
Team Machine Minds with mentors at School of Computing, Montclair State University
You can watch the presentation on Youtube.
Happy to share this announcement with all of you!
Apr 04, 2024 MSU Master Students' Research Won the Best Paper Award at conference in Imperial College, London, UK
Mar 25, 2024 Congrats to Montclair student finalists in nationwide Rutgers contest!
Mar 22, 2024 Our software demo was accepted to IEEE/ACM CHASE 2024!
Mar 14, 2024 Our paper was accepted to ICHI 2024!
Mar 01, 2024 The new website for Data Science Lab @ MSU is officially launched!
Nov 07, 2015 A long announcement with details

latest posts

selected publications

  1. ICHI
    Using Generative Large Language Models for Hierarchical Relationship Prediction in Medical Ontologies
    Hao Liu , Shuxin Zhou , Zhehuan Chen , Yehoshua Perl , and Jiayin Wang
    12th IEEE International Conference on Healthcare Informatics (accepted), Mar 2024
  2. Comprehensive cough data analysis on CODA TB
    Jyoti Yadav , Aparna S Varde , and Lei Xie
    2023 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (BigData), Mar 2023
  3. UEMCON
    Enhancing Cloud Security Posture for Ubiquitous Data Access with a Cybersecurity Framework Based Management Tool
    Gregory Coppola , Aparna S Varde , and Jiacheng Shang
    2023 IEEE 14th Annual Ubiquitous Computing, Electronics and Mobile Communication Conference (UEMCON), Mar 2023
  4. Human-robot collaboration with commonsense reasoning in smart manufacturing contexts
    Christopher J Conti , Aparna S Varde , and Weitian Wang
    IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, Mar 2022
  5. ACM
    Management of implicit requirements data in large srs documents: taxonomy and techniques
    Dev Dave , Angelica Celestino , Aparna S Varde , and Vaibhav Anu
    ACM SIGMOD Record, Mar 2022