Portrait image of Jake Cunningham

Jake Cunningham

Machine Learning

PhD Student

UCL

Hello! I'm a PhD student in the Foundational AI CDT at UCL, supervised by Marc Deisenroth. My research interests are in Bayesian machine learning and Gaussian processes with a particular focus on applications in climate science.

Previously, I obtained an MSc. in Computing (AI and Machine Learning) from Imperial College London, during which I worked with Mark van der Wilk on connections between Gaussian processes, stochastic partial differential equations and the reproducing kernel Hilbert space.

Prior to that, I completed an M.Eng. in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford where I worked with Ton van den Bremer to model the global accumulation of floating microplastics.

Publications

Actually Sparse Variational Gaussian Processes

J Cunningham, D Augusto de Souza, S Takao, M van der Wilk, M Deisenroth

Proceedings of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics (AISTATS), 2023

The Role of the Unsteady Surface Wave-Driven Ekman–Stokes Flow in the Accumulation of Floating Marine Litter

J Cunningham, C Higgins, T van den Bremer

Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 2022

Experience

National Oceanography Centre

Research Engineer

Sep 2022 - Mar 2023

  • Work on improving eddy current detection with deep generative models

Mercury Labs

Data Scientist

Sep 2021 - Oct 2022

  • Designed zero-shot recommender systems for low-traffic small businesses

Waves and Flows, University of Oxford

Research Assistant, superivsed by Ton van den Bremer

Jun 2019 - Sep 2020

  • Developed global ocean models and performed large particle tracking simulations

Education

University College London

PhD, supervised by Marc Deisenroth

2021 - Present

Imperial College London

MSc Computing (Machine Learning and AI), supervised by Mark van der Wilk

2020 - 2021

University of Oxford

MEng Engineering Science, supervised by Ton van den Bremer

2016 - 2020