Hardik Uppal

CEO

Greater Vancouver, Canada7 yrs 5 mos experience

Highly StableAI Enabled

Key Highlights

Expert in generative AI and computer vision.
Published first-author research in top-tier conferences.
Led AI strategy for innovative photography solutions.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Computer Vision and AI expert in the Photography industry.

Contact

huppal@captura.io LinkedIn

Skills

Core Skills

Computer VisionArtificial Intelligence (ai)Machine LearningDeep LearningData ManagementEtl Tools

Other Skills

AI strategygenerative AIimage processingProject PlanningResearch SkillsDocker ProductsNatural Language Processing (NLP)Parallel ComputingSoftware DevelopmentBusiness Intelligence ToolsPython (Programming Language)Cluster ManagementTeam LeadershipProblem SolvingLarge-scale Data Analysis

About

I’m an applied Machine Learning Researcher specializing in generative AI and computer vision. For the past 8 years, my focus has been on bridging the gap between state-of-the-art academic research and scalable production environments. I originally started in academia, publishing first-author deep learning research at ICCV and IEEE, before moving into the industry to build AI-powered products that actually ship. Today, I direct applied ML research at Captura, where my team builds incredibly fast, efficient models tailored for high-resolution image editing. I love the challenge of taking heavy compute models and optimizing them so they run flawlessly at scale. Whether it's pixel-perfect subject isolation or building recursive agentic loops, my goal is always the same: turn complex mathematics into products that feel like magic

Experience

7 yrs 5 mos

Total Experience

2 yrs 6 mos

Average Tenure

Current Experience

Aftershoot

Director of Artificial Intelligence

Apr 2026 – Present · 2 mos · Delhi, India

Lead the AI strategy at Aftershoot, focusing on enhancing image selection and editing workflows through advanced technology.
Spearhead research and deployment of state-of-the-art computer vision and generative AI systems for professional photography.
Ensure seamless operation of models for high-resolution image processing, bridging ML research and production.
Develop comprehensive roadmaps to align AI team goals with business objectives, driving product innovations.

AI strategycomputer visiongenerative AIimage processingComputer VisionArtificial Intelligence (AI)

Captura

2 roles

Senior Machine Learning Researcher

Promoted

Mar 2025 – Mar 2026 · 1 yr

Lead research initiatives across all product lines, driving innovation in computer vision and generative AI.
Build scalable ML solutions (CNNs, Transformers, diffusion models, LLMs) to enhance product performance and customer experience.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align AI research with business strategy.
Delivered measurable improvements in product accuracy and user adoption.

Project PlanningResearch Skillscomputer visiongenerative AIComputer VisionMachine Learning

Machine Learning Researcher II

Apr 2024 – Feb 2025 · 10 mos

Optimized ML pipelines, achieving 5× throughput improvement and significantly reducing operational costs.
Developed advanced AI features for photography workflows: image retouching, background removal, glare reduction, and shadow generation.
Partnered with product teams to translate R&D outcomes into deployable, client-facing features.

Deep LearningComputer Vision

Skylab technologies ulc

Machine Learning Researcher

Aug 2021 – Mar 2024 · 2 yrs 7 mos · Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Designed and deployed custom evaluation metrics and active learning strategies, reducing error rates to 0.02% in large-scale photography applications.
Built scalable data annotation and labeling pipelines, integrating vendor workflows for efficiency.
Advanced automation efforts that improved customer delivery timelines.

Docker ProductsNatural Language Processing (NLP)Machine LearningComputer Vision

Queen's university

Research Assistant

Aug 2018 – Apr 2021 · 2 yrs 8 mos

Passionate about advancing facial analysis and the intersection of AI and human-computer interaction. As a Research Assistant, I focused on deep learning and RGB-D fusion techniques, contributing both applied research and peer-reviewed publications.
Key Contributions:
First Author Publications in top venues:
ICCV 2021: Teacher-Student Adversarial Depth Hallucination to Improve Face Recognition
IEEE TIFS 2021: Depth as Attention for Face Representation Learning
ICPR 2020: Two-Level Attention-based Fusion Learning for RGB-D Face Recognition
Designed and implemented state-of-the-art architectures for facial analysis and recognition.
Critically evaluated cutting-edge methods from recent literature and improved upon them through novel experimental approaches.
Advanced the lab’s research goals by bridging theoretical methods with practical applications in AI and computer vision.

Parallel ComputingNatural Language Processing (NLP)Machine LearningComputer Vision

Tata consultancy services

System Engineer

Sep 2015 – Sep 2018 · 3 yrs · Noida Area, India

Maintained and optimized daily reporting operations for a large retail warehouse, streamlining ETL pipelines and automating data workflows.
Built efficient data models and schemas with Cognos Framework Manager, improving query performance by 3×.
Enhanced ETL processes for a complex human data warehouse using PL/SQL and reporting tools, boosting reliability and scalability.
Successfully led the migration of reporting applications from SAP Business Objects to Cognos 10, ensuring smooth integration and improved functionality.

Software DevelopmentBusiness Intelligence ToolsData ManagementETL Tools