About Me
My research focus is on natural language processing, with a particular emphasis on dialogue systems, large language models and NLP for social good. During my master's, I explored several NLP subfields including dialogue systems and text to query. My thesis focused on natural language understanding through joint intent-detection and slot-filling, resulting in "CTRAN", the current SOTA result in the field for slot-filling.
I also have five years of experience as a self-employed programmer, developing mobile apps with nationwide impact. My passion for accessibility and social impact drives my work, exemplified by projects like Hamyar, a Farsi-language smartphone interface for the visually impaired. These experiences inspire my ongoing focus on natural language processing to empower the less fortunate.
I am currently seeking PhD positions starting in 2025! If you know of any faculty specializing in my research interests below who are looking for students, please reach out via email at mehrdad.rafie.p (at) gmail. I am also open to productive collaborations. If you share my research interests, please get in touch.
Research Interests
🔹 Dialogue systems
🔹 Large Language Models
🔹 Natural Language Processing for Social Good
🔹 Alterations of Transformer Architecture in Textual Data
🔹 Natural Language Understanding
🔹 Text to SQL