Celebrating UIL Team Member Sean Lewis's Acceptance to Cornell University

We are excited to share that Sean Lewis, our talented and dedicated undergraduate research assistant alumnus, will be starting his Master degree in Computer Science at Cornell University this fall. This marks the beginning of an incredible journey in academia, and we look forward to seeing the groundbreaking contributions he will make in the field.

Profile

Sean earned his bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2024. Since joining the Urban Information Lab in 2022, he has played a crucial role in the team, working under Dr. Junfeng Jiao, the lab's director. Sean has been involved in several projects that focus on ethical artificial intelligence, big data, and digital twins throughout his time in the lab.
 
His main research has revolved around the development and deployment of data-driven ethical AI chatbots, specifically tailored for urban data and emergency responses. A significant achievement was the creation of SmartCityData, a pipeline he built to integrate information from over 200 city data portals. This data formed the basis for OpenCityAI, an innovative AI launched in March 2023, trained on open city data. Recognizing his contributions, the City of Austin provided Sean and the Urban Information Lab with a grant to develop a multilingual AI chatbot that delivers critical information to underserved communities. Sean's projects consistently emphasize the convergence of accessibility and technological innovation, leading to the creation of open-source tools that require minimal technical expertise to use. Alongside Dr. Junfeng Jiao, he has co-authored a peer-reviewed journal article and delivered several conference presentations and posters. He is currently focused on improving the Austin Emergency Response AI by incorporating community feedback.

Publications

1. Jiao, J., Phillips, C., & Lewis, S. (Preprint). Using Generative AI for Digital Planning. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems.

Conference Presentations

1. Lewis, S., Jiao, J., Xu, Y., Atkinson, L., & Sussman, K. (May 2024). AI Emergency Communication: Deterministic Models for Critical Information. 2nd Annual Smart Cities and Generative AI Symposium (Good Systems), Austin, TX, USA.
2. Jiao, J., Phillips, C., & Lewis, S. (Jan. 2024). Using Generative AI for Digital Planning. Digital Planning for a Sustainable Urban Future, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
3. Lewis, S., & Jiao, J. (Aug. 2023). AI-Powered Insights: Extracting Value from Complex Data Ecosystems. 1st Annual Smart Cities and Generative AI Symposium (Texas Advanced Computing Center), Austin, TX, USA.

Conference Posters

1. Lewis, S., Phillips, C., & Jiao, J. (Apr. 2024). OpenCityAI: Generative AI for Smart Cities. Good Systems Symposium, Austin, TX, USA.
2. Lewis, S., Jiao, J., Xu, Y., Atkinson, L., & Sussman, K. (Apr. 2024). Multilingual AI-Assisted Emergency Preparedness. Good Systems Symposium, Austin, TX, USA.