Annalisa Szymanski

Personal Websites

• Annalisa Szymanski

Recent Publications:

• Germino, J., Szymanski, A., Metoyer, R., & Chawla, N. V. A Community Focused Approach Towards Making Healthy and Affordable Daily Diet Recommendations. Frontiers in Big Data, 6, 1086212.

Projects:

• FINs (Food Information Networks) App Development: Collaboratively developing an app tailored for food-insecure communities that suggests healthier food substitutes. My focus is on deploying optimization algorithms attuned to this demographic's specific economic and dietary requirements.
• Utilizing LLMs for Clarifying Food Product Context: Examining the effectiveness of Large Language Models in enhancing consumer understanding of the nutritional role of specific food items within a diet.

About me:

I am a third year PhD student advised by Dr. Ron Metoyer. My research focus centers on the development of technology solutions aimed at addressing issues related to food insecurity. My work encompasses the evaluation of optimization algorithms for recommending cost-effective, yet nutritious, food products. Additionally, I am investigating ways to improve consumer decision-making through the use of AI-based systems and data visualizations.

Prior to my graduate work, I was with Vanguard's Client Experience Lab, working on online financial advisory platforms. This experience developed my perspective on the crucial role of user education and diverse feedback for successful technology deployment, especially in AI systems. My passion continues to center on creating technology that incorporates diverse perspectives, with a focus on assisting vulnerable populations.

In my free time, I enjoy taking pure barre classes and learning the Polish language.

Research Interests:

Large Language Models, Artificial Intelligence, Food Recommendations, Community-centered Optimization Strategies

Education:

• B.S. Business Intelligence and Analytics, Saint Joseph’s University, 2016
• M.S. Business Intelligence and Analytics, Saint Joseph’s University, 2019