Biography

Julien Dupont is Lead Data Scientist at Cortexia in Châtel Saint Denis, specialising in sustainable solutions for urban cleanliness and waste management. He emphasises data-driven insights for societal and industrial advancement. He began his career at ETH Zurich, conducting research in fluid dynamics. His keen interest in the intersection of science and industry led him to transition into the private sector, innovating on chemical process engineering and software user interfaces for automated lab reactors and production scale-up optimization. Driven by a desire to apply his skills in various meaningful ways, he later ventured into the medical field, joining forces with CHUV University Hospital to analyse patient trajectories using unsupervised clustering techniques. Julien holds a Ph.D. conducted at the Paul Scherrer Institut. He remains committed to staying abreast of the latest advancements, continuously engaging in collaborations with various research institutions. He is currently involved in immersive co-development at EPF Lausanne on meta-learning strategies for the scalability of computer vision.

Presentation

Title

Optimizing Sustainability: A Case Study by Cortexia.

Abstract

Optimization plays a pivotal role in enhancing societal efficiency and resource conservation. Cortexia, a company committed to sustainability and circular economy principles, employs optimization tools and artificial intelligence to address contemporary environmental and societal challenges. Focused on two main vertical markets, we utilise computer vision for urban litter detection and biowaste quality monitoring.

In both domains, optimization manifests through sophisticated AI pipelines, encompassing backward propagation and streamlined model training and implementation. The resultant detection pipeline yields valuable monitoring data, including intruder counts, geopositioning, and timestamps, facilitating informed decision-making. By using this data effectively, we can improve how resources are allocated, vehicles are routed, and processes are managed. This, in turn, promotes environmentally friendly practices and provides support to individuals, enriching their experiences and fulfilment and satisfaction.

This talk emphasises the importance of aligning optimization strategies and user interfaces with market needs and acceptance, highlighting the pitfalls of prioritising mathematical elegance over practical reality. Drawing from field experience, we showcase Cortexia’s approach to optimization and provide insights into future developments.