UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #929

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Marcos Muller Vasconcelos
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: He/Him/His
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: Dr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): m.vasconcelos@fsu.edu
Position Title: Faculty
FSU College (if applicable): FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Headshot (optional): https://cre.fsu.edu/system/files/webform/urop_project_proposal_portal/15271/marcos.jpeg

Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: Modeling Human-Software Interaction in Modern Recommender Systems
Project Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Social Networks, Machine Learning, Game Theory
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Economics
Statistics
Mathematics
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Computer Engineering

Project Location:: FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: Yes
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 5-10 hours a week
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: Flexible schedule (Combination of business and outside of business. TBD between student and research mentor.)
Overall Research Project Description:
Information dissemination is primarily controlled through platforms across their social media network infrastructure. At the heart of this system is the platform itself, which has access to a vast array of heterogeneous content. On the periphery, individual users act as information consumers. It has become widely recognized that these platforms utilize a mechanism popularly known as the "Algorithm''. The "Algorithm'' selects which information to present to users based on machine learning model (or an estimate) of content preferences specific to each consumer. The user's objective is straightforward – to maximize its utility – while the platform's aim is to maximize consumer engagement. The misalignment between the user's and platform's objectives results in intriguing behaviors that are observed empirically. In this project we propose a new game-theoretic model to analyze how content distribution platforms optimize user engagement for users interested in keeping their preferences with provable guarantees using differential privacy techniques. The contribution of the project is twofold: 

1. To inform platforms on how to improve their machine learning recommendation algorithms for a user population that has strict privacy requirements; 

2. To inform users on how to judiciously disclose their preferences to ensure they receive good recommendations from the platform while guaranteeing a base level of privacy protection.

Research Tasks:
Literature Review
Mathematical Modeling and Analysis
Computer Programming and Simulations
Data Collection and Statistical Analysis



Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Proficiency in Machine Learning, Mathematics, and Statistics (Required)


Mentoring Philosophy:
Our mentoring philosophy centers on empowering students to gain confidence in their ideas and nurturing their creativity. At the MINDS lab, we embrace the motto that there is no limit to what the human mind can accomplish and that the world of ideas offers an infinite number of low-hanging fruits. Currently, our lab supports a diverse group of researchers, including five undergraduate students, two PhD students, and one postdoc. We believe that a diverse team representing a wide spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives leads to more innovative work, thereby contributing to the broadening of participation of underrepresented groups in the scientific community and society as a whole.

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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: No
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
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UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

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Year: 2024
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