Curriculum Vitae 

Dept. of EE and Dept. of CS             Mailing address:
University of Maryland                 8031 Boca Rio Drive
College Park, MD 20742                 Boca Raton, FL 33433
                                       Phone : (407) 852 5854
                                       Email: madhura@cs.umd.edu

Research Interests

Artificial Intelligence :
Real-time planning, Commonsense reasoning, Resource-limited reasoning, Distributed AI, Logic.
Expert Systems, Machine Learning, Database Systems, Algorithms, Cognitive Science, Natural Language Processing.

Education

Ph.D. in Computer Engineering Expected May 1994
Dept. of EE, University of Maryland, College Park.
Advisor : Dr. Donald Perlis, Dept. of CS, Univ. of MD.
Thesis: Time-Situated Reasoning Within Tight Deadlines and Realistic Space and Computation Bounds.

I address theoretical and implementational problems in developing a real-time deadline-coupled reasoning mechanism that accounts for all the time spent (in acting and in deliberation) in the face of a rigid and tight deadline. The time-situated reasoner must respond to a changing world as he/she deliberates and acts within other realistic resource limitations such as limited memory and computation.

M.S. in Computer Engineering Dec 1987.
Dept. of EE, University of Maryland, College Park.
Advisor: Dr. Kazuo Nakajima, Dept. of EE, Univ. of MD.
M.S. thesis:Efficient Algorithms for Circular-Arc Containment Graphs.

I introduced a new class of graphs of interest in VLSI, called circular-arc containment graphs, which is a generalization of interval containment graphs. I developed efficient algorithms for finding a maximal clique, a maximum independent set and a minimum coloring for these graphs.

B.Tech. in Computer Science May 1984.
Dept. of CS, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India.
Advisor: Dr. D. B. Phatak, Dept. of CS, I.I.T. Bombay.
B.Tech project: Design of a 2-D graphics package.

Professional Experience

University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, (UMIACS).

Research (Distributed AI) : Developed a logical model for automated argumentation aimed at reaching agreements in multi-agent negotiation. The assumption is that the agents are selfish, built to maximize their own goals and function in either adversary or cooperative environments. Using categories identified from human multi-agent negotiation, presented a basis for an axiomatization for argument formulation and evaluation.

Contributed to the writing three research proposals based in part on my work in real-time deadline-coupled planning, and helped identify future directions for the consolidated time-situated reasoning project at Maryland.

Dept. of Linguistics and Dept. of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park.

Research and development (Natural Language Processing) : Contributed to development of a foreign language tutor targetted at marines on foreign duty, sponsored by Army Research Institute (ARI). The tutor is robust, flexible, and portable. Robustness is required to parse incorrect input and flexibility to parse different levels of incorrectness. Portability lets the same design be adapted easily for different languages. I worked as a member of a software team for development of a tutor for German, and subsequently for Arabic.

Research (Real-time Reasoning) : Developed a time-situated framework capable of accounting for all the time spent in deliberation (planning) and acting in a real-time tight deadline setting. This formed the basis of my doctoral dissertation work. Also implemented preliminary versions of the system.

Systems Research Center, University of Maryland, College Park.

Research (Algorithms and VLSI) : Introduced a generalization of interval containment graphs called circular-arc containment graphs and characterized them by establishing their equivalence to a new class of intersection graphs called circular permutation graphs. Developed efficient algorithms for finding a maximal clique, a maximum independent set and a minimum coloring of these graphs. These algorithms have a theoretical bearing on layout problems in VLSI.

Dept. of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park.

Research and Development (Software Tools for Education) : Designed and implemented software aids on IBM PC for teaching physics as part of the Maryland University Project on Physics and Educational Technology (MUPPET).

Tata Consultancy Services,Bombay, India.

Development and Instruction : Provided software Support for HP-9000 Unix System. Developed system utilities and graphics software. Conducted a course on C and UNIX for other software developers.

Journal Articles

  1. ``How To (Plan to) Meet a Deadline Between Now and Then,'' M. Nirkhe, S. Kraus and D. Perlis, Journal of Logic and Computation, accepted for publication.

  2. ``Circular-Arc Containment Graphs,'' J. Urrutia, M. Nirkhe, S. Masuda, and K. Nakajima, Networks, accepted for publication. (also appeared as SRC TR 87-211, Systems Research Center, Univ. of MD).

Refereed Publications

  1. ``Reaching Agreements Through Argumentation,'' S. Kraus, M. Nirkhe and K. Sycara, Proceedings of the Distributed AI workshop 93, Hidden Valley, PA, May 1993 (presented by Madhura Nirkhe). Also appeared in AAAI-93 Workshop in Washington DC on AI Theories of Groups and Organizations, and in IJCAI-93 Workshop in France on Computational Models of Conflict Management in Cooperative Problem Solving.

  2. ``Reasoning About Change in a Changing World,'' M. Nirkhe, D. Perlis and S. Kraus, Proceedings of the Florida AI Research Symposium 93, Fort Lauderdale, April, 1993 (presented by Madhura Nirkhe).

  3. ``Situated Reasoning Within Tight Deadlines and Realistic Space and Computation Bounds,'' M. Nirkhe, S. Kraus and D. Perlis, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Commonsense Reasoning, Austin, Texas, Jan 1993 (presented by Madhura Nirkhe). Also appeared in IJCAI-93 Workshop in France on Spatial and Temporal Reasoning.

  4. ``Vacuum Logic,'' J. Elgot-Drapkin, S. Kraus, M. Miller, M. Nirkhe and D. Perlis, AAAI Symposium on Instantiating Real World Agents, Raleigh, NC, 1993 (presented by Jennifer Elgot-Drapkin).

  5. ``Fully Deadline-Coupled Planning: One Step at a time,'' M. Nirkhe, S. Kraus and D. Perlis, Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium on Methodologies for Intelligent Systems, Charlotte, NC, 1991 (presented by Madhura Nirkhe).

  6. ``Deadline-Coupled Real-time Planning,'' S. Kraus, M. Nirkhe and D. Perlis, Proceedings of 1990 DARPA Workshop on Innovative Approaches to Planning, Scheduling and Control, San Diego, CA, 1990 (presented by Madhura Nirkhe).

  7. ``Planning and Acting in Deadline Situations,'' S. Kraus, M. Nirkhe and D. Perlis, Proceedings of AAAI-90 Workshop on Planning in Complex Domains, Boston, 1990 (presented by Madhura Nirkhe).

Journal Submissions

  1. `` Formal Real-time Imagination,'' M. Nirkhe and S. Kraus, submitted to Fundamenta Informaticae, special issue on Formal Imagination.

  2. ``Active Logics'' J. Elgot-Drapkin, S. Kraus, M. Miller, M. Nirkhe and D. Perlis, submitted to Artificial Intelligence.

Invited Papers and Talks

Honors, Awards, and Professional Membership

Systems Research Center Graduate Fellowship, University of Maryland, 1987-1989.

Graduate Fellowship, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, 1986.

Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Zenith Computers, I.I.T. Bombay, India, 1984.

Sir Dorabji Tata Merit Trust Scholarship for academic excellence, Bombay, India, 1978-1984.

Govt. of India National Merit Scholarship, 1977, 1979.

Member, American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).

Member, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

Personal Data

Date and Place of Birth : October 10, 1962, Bombay, India.
Visa Status : F-1, application for permanent residency under process; residency expected in June 1994.
Languages : English, French, Marathi, Hindi.

References


Prof. Donald Perlis
Department of Computer Science,
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
e-mail : perlis@cs.umd.edu
Phone :  (301) 405 2685.


Prof. Sarit Kraus 
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, 
Bar Ilan University 
Ramat Gan,  52900 Israel 
e-mail : sarit@bimacs.cs.biu.ac.il  
Phone : +972 3 531 8863. 


Prof. Joseph Ja' Ja'
Dept. of Electrical Engineering
and Dept. of Computer Science
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 
e-mail : joseph@phoenicia.src.umd.edu  
Phone :  (301) 405 6762. 
 
Prof. Jack Minker
Department of Computer Science, 
University of Maryland,College Park, MD 20742 
e-mail : minker@cs.umd.edu  
Phone :  (301) 405 2676.

Additional Reference

Prof. Amy Weinberg 
Department of Linguistics 
and Center for Advanced Computer Studies 
A.V. Williams Building 
University of Maryland,College Park, MD 20742 
e-mail : weinberg@umiacs.umd.edu 
Phone :   (301) 405 6748.

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