Pooja Voladoddi is Technical Lead (AI/ML) at IBM on the IBM watsonx Orders team, with a focus on programming high-level software for the physical world / physical entities (think tangible devices with a form factor), using Computer Vision, Speech Recognition, Natural Language and more. Prior to IBM, Voladoddi held roles at NVIDIA and CISCO. She holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) and was a Research Intern at ICT in 2014.
My journey to USC was influenced by a variety of factors, but one key element was discovering the incredible work being done at the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT).
Back in 2012, as an undergrad in India, I came across ICT’s cutting-edge projects in AR/VR and mixed reality, and it instantly sparked my curiosity. The kind of interdisciplinary research happening there was exactly what I wanted to be part of, so when the time came to apply for my master’s, USC—with its connection to ICT—was at the top of my list.
INTERNSHIP DECISIONS
Fast forward to 2014, and I was in the midst of deciding between an internship at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and another opportunity when ICT came calling.
Dr. Stefan Scherer had visited our campus during a recruitment drive, and I had applied, but I hadn’t heard back for a while.
With the DLR internship offer in hand, I was preparing to get my German visa when I received an email from Kathleen Haase at ICT. I had been selected to intern with the Graphics Lab under the supervision of Xueming Yu and Dr. Paul Debevec.
It felt like things had come full circle—I was thrilled to be part of the very place that had inspired me to pursue my master’s.
ADVENTURES AT ICT
The internship itself was everything I could have hoped for. I worked on a real-time, computational illumination-based 3D scanner system for image-based rendering, integrating hardware, firmware, and software components. My tasks included programming SPI communication interfaces, setting up DMA, I2C, and UART systems, and developing Python APIs for hardware control – to ensure that the 3D scanner captures the entire image of the 3D object in ~1s. A standout moment was assisting with the assembly of a mobile version of LightStage X, the light stage unit used for facial 3D scanning, which played a role in the historic scanning of President Obama’s bust at the White House. This experience at ICT highlighted the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, deepening my appreciation for the value of being a generalist— curious and adaptable across domains— which has driven me to pursue innovative solutions throughout my career.
My time at ICT wasn’t just about the technical work—it was filled with memorable moments and people. One day, I had a brief but hilarious encounter with Jason Statham, who casually greeted me as he walked past my office. Without realizing who I was talking to, I mentioned that I’d failed my driving test that morning.
By the time it clicked that it was Jason Statham, he was already out of sight.
I also loved being invited to technical discussions and meetings, where I got to learn from experts in various fields. It was amazing to see so many interdisciplinary veterans collaborating on industry-defining research.
ICT IMPACT
ICT also had a major impact on my career trajectory. My interest in photography and technology found new depth, and I started exploring ways to not only capture and process images but also make sense of them through products. This experience led me to focus on real-time DSP, visual odometry on drones, and robotics courses, while also diving into machine learning. In fact, ICT introduced me to Multimodal AI through a course co-led by Dr. Stefan Scherer and Dr. Louis-Philippe Morency. That course allowed me to merge my interest in visual and audio cues, and it marked my first exposure to the path that is Multimodal AI today. It even paved the way for an internship performing original research with Dr. Simon Baker at NVIDIA, thanks to a former ICT alumnus Jonathen Cohen at NVIDIA, who noticed we shared similar roots and invited me to interview for an internship position there.
Today, I work at the intersection of technology and creativity, leveraging my background in machine learning and product development. My journey began at Knowles Intelligent Audio, where I developed voice recognition algorithms for smartphones and context-awareness algorithms for activity recognition. This experience taught me how to blend hardware and software in machine learning systems, as I worked to optimize audio processing directly on mobile devices. I then moved on to Cisco, where I was involved in the end-to-end development of machine learning systems for smart headphones, telephones, and other collaborative devices. My responsibilities included designing custom training methodologies to improve accuracy and reduce false positives in wake-up word detection systems, as well as managing data pipelines and evaluation processes.
ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON
Currently, at IBM watsonx Orders, I lead innovative research to enhance bilingual speech recognition and natural language understanding systems specifically for drive-thru ordering systems, driving significant improvements in our Conversational AI agent.
Each project I undertake reflects the diverse lessons I’ve gained from my experiences at ICT and USC, reinforcing the importance of curiosity, collaboration, and interdisciplinary knowledge in driving meaningful innovation.
It’s exciting to see how the concepts I explored during my time at USC, combined with the insights from ICT, are manifesting in real-world products that bridge the gap between software and hardware, continually pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
ICT 25
As ICT celebrates 25 years, I can’t help but reflect on how significant it has been in my journey. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities, mentorship, and friendships I gained during my time there. It’s been deeply gratifying to share my passion for ICT with others, whether through my Quora answer about the experience or conversations with current and prospective USC students. ICT is a place where creatively inclined technologists can thrive, and I am proud to be part of its legacy.
Here’s to ICT continuing its mission of pioneering technology that shapes industries—both those that exist today and those we have yet to imagine.
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Pooja Voladoddi is Technical Lead (AI/ML) at IBM on the IBM watsonx Orders team, with a focus on programming high-level software for the physical world / physical entities (think tangible devices with a form factor), using Computer Vision, Speech Recognition, Natural Language and more. Prior to IBM, Voladoddi held roles at NVIDIA and CISCO. She holds a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) and was a Research Intern at ICT in 2014.