APGC Seminar | Learning to count: From plants to people

he Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) is excited to announce the next in a series of seminars running the length of 2024.
Summary
I am Valerio Giuffrida, an Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, School of Computer Science. In my presentation, I will discuss the challenges associated with training machine learning algorithms for leaf counting tasks.
Throughout this talk, I will show several methodologies, ranging from regression to segmentation, showcasing how these techniques enable machine learning algorithms to accurately count leaves from plant images. Starting with traditional machine learning approaches, I will then explore the potential of advanced models such as transformers.
By leveraging these techniques, more robust algorithms capable of tackling complex counting tasks can be developed across diverse domains. From plant phenotyping to applications in biology and CCTV systems.
Speaker Bio
Valerio Giuffrida is an Assistant Professor in Computer Vision, recently appointed to the School of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham. His academic activities have mostly focused on leveraging computer vision and deep learning methodologies to address challenges in plant image analysis. All started by proposing a machine learning-based approach for leaf counting in images of Arabidopsis thaliana plants, establishing himself as a pioneer in the field.
Throughout his career, Valerio has expanded been involved in other related research projects, including root phenotyping, multimodal learning (not only on plant image analysis, but also in medical imaging), generative models, and foundation models. He is currently a Co-Investigator for the PhenomUK Scoping Project, funded by BBSRC, where he is involved in the Data Infrastructure strand alongside Sotos Tsaftaris from the University of Edinburgh.
Valerio has actively contributed to the organisation of several international events. Currently, he is organising the 9th edition of the Computer Vision Problems in Phenotyping and Agriculture Workshop, which could happen at ECCV '24 (subjected to approval).