Featured Alumni: Dr. Andrew Finelli, UConn

August 10, 2022 | Dr. Andrew Finelli recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Ph.D in Estimation and Signal Processing with a focus on Tracking and Navigation. Co-advised by Dr. Peter Willett and Dr. Yaakov Bar-Shalom, Dr. Finelli currently works in the algorithms research and development group at Toyon Research Corporation. “My experience carried over quite directly,” said Dr. Finelli. “My focus is on developing and implementing algorithms to extract information from electrical sensors that may be relevant in a defense scenario.”

While pursuing his Ph.D, Dr. Finelli spent time working on multiple NIUVT research projects. “I worked on a project where the goal was to detect a change in the output of a hydrophone without characterizing the source before or after the change occurred,” explained Dr. Finelli. “It was an interesting application of information theory and communication theory to a place where one might not expect to see the algorithms that were eventually employed. The physics of data collection in an undersea environment provide unique challenges that are simultaneously difficult and extremely rewarding to solve.”

Looking to the future, Dr. Finelli hopes to advance at Toyon and continue research in a wide variety of fields of mathematics, engineering, and computer science. “I’d eventually like to manage a research team, as well as continue to contribute to the field academically through publications and teaching.”