Over 2,000 years after Euclid’s groundbreaking work in geometry, MIT associate professor Justin Solomon is using the ancient principles in fresh, modern ways. Solomon’s work in the Geometric Data Processing Group applies geometry to solve a variety of problems, from comparing datasets in machine learning to enhancing generative AI models. His work assumes a variety of forms, from processing two- and three-dimensional geometric data to conducting high-dimensional statistical research.
Solomon’s journey began with a fascination in computer graphics which led to internships, a double-major in math and computer science at Stanford University, and subsequent work at Pixar Animation Studios throughout his college years and into graduate school. His focus was on the physical simulation of cloth and fluids to improve the realism of animated films. He later pursued a computer science PhD at Stanford where he eventually focused on optimal transport – a mathematical way to find the most efficient distribution of items.
On becoming a faculty at MIT, Solomon is striving to make the field of geometric research accessible to a wider range of people who traditionally don’t have access to it, especially underrepresented students. His Summer Geometry Initiative, a paid research program for undergraduates, primarily underrepresented, providing a hands-on introduction to geometry research, has started to show results in changing the composition of the incoming classes of PhD students.
His future endeavors include applying tools from geometry to improve unsupervised machine learning models which can help computers figure out complex, unlabeled 3D scenes for better learning efficacy. The need for more diverse researchers in this field is underscored by the ever-increasing challenges in machine learning and statistics that can be solved using geometric techniques.
Apart from tackling research complexities, in his spare time, Solomon indulges in the pleasures of classical music, playing the piano and cello. His musical inclinations find relevance in his research field — computer graphics — that is very much associated with artistic practice, thereby complimenting each other. According to Solomon, the analytical nature of music closely resonates with the essence of his research work, making the two mutually beneficial in his holistic understanding of both these realms.
