Kai Xu
Principal Research Scientist at Red Hat
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Summary
🤩
Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolKai Xu is a Principal Research Scientist with 11 years of experience advancing machine learning and statistical computing across industry and top-tier labs, currently helping build Red Hat AI and affiliated with the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab. He holds a PhD in Machine Learning from Edinburgh and has driven research and product-focused roles at Amazon, IBM, Hazy and Apple, blending rigorous research with production engineering. A seasoned contributor to the Julia ecosystem, Kai has improved core numerical and probabilistic libraries (e.g., Distributions.jl, ProgressMeter.jl, DrWatson.jl) and added GPU-enabled math kernels to Knet.jl, highlighting practical expertise in high-performance ML. Colleagues rely on him to bridge theory and systems: he implements robust tests, refactors for clarity, and ships CUDA kernels that make advanced functions production-ready. Outside work he’s an ML researcher who <3 cats, a small hint at a curious, personable side to a deeply technical profile.
10 years of coding experience
4 years of employment as a software developer
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Machine Learning, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Machine Learning at The University of EdinburghBachelor of Engineering (BEng) Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) Computer Science and Electronic Engineering at University of LiverpoolMaster of Philosophy (MPhil) Machine Learning Speech and Language Technology, Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Machine Learning Speech and Language Technology at University of CambridgeBachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) Computer Science and Technology, Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) Computer Science and Technology at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
english (ielts 8.0), Chinese, wu chinese
Github Skills (29)
package-development10
testing10
statistics10
gpu-programming10
machine-learning10
distributions10
deep-learning10
neural-network10
cuda10
probability-distribution10
knn10
knexjs10
scientific-computing10
julia10
data-science9
Programming languages (25)
Github contributions (5)
JuliaStats/Distributions.jl
May 2017 - Jul 2019
A Julia package for probability distributions and associated functions.
Role in this project:
Back-end Developer & QA Engineer/Test Automation Engineer
Back-end Developer & QA Engineer/Test Automation EngineerContributions:5 commits, 5 PRs, 31 comments in 2 years 2 months
Contributions summary:Kai primarily contributed to the `distributions.jl` Julia package by implementing generic type support, fixing bugs, and improving code readability within the truncated distribution functionality. They also added new tests and extended existing tests, ensuring code correctness. Furthermore, the user addressed a typo in the matrix variates, added tests for multiple variables, and worked on supporting generic types in univariate GMMs, demonstrating proficiency in numerical methods and statistical distributions.
julia-packagedistributionsstatisticsdata-scienceprobability-distributions
JuliaDynamics/DrWatson.jl
Feb 2020 - Feb 2021
The perfect sidekick to your scientific inquiries
Role in this project:Back-end Developer
Back-end DeveloperContributions:4 reviews, 8 commits, 2 PRs in 1 year
Contributions summary:Kai primarily contributed to the `drwatson.jl` repository by implementing and refining the `savename` function, which appears to be core to the project. They addressed several issues related to data saving, including handling ignores, string vs symbol issues, and improving docstrings. Furthermore, the user introduced and tested a `produce_or_load` function, which supports a do-block syntax.
scienceproject-assistantsimulationssidekickperfect
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