Israeli computer vision expert joins Alibaba's Damo Academy

Lihi Zelnik-Manor, a renowned scientist in computer vision and an associate professor from the Israel Institute of Technology, joined a local machine vision laboratory owned by DAMO Academy, a global research institute backed by China's e-commerce behemoth Alibaba on Nov 21.

As the head of the lab, she will lead the team in the basic scientific research of computer vision as well as the combined applications in areas of new retail and smart cities.

DAMO Academy, launched last year, is a global research institute focused on technological research, and is a linchpin in Alibaba's ongoing efforts to sharpen its technological expertise in realms such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and quantum computing.

The Alibaba Israel Machine Vision Laboratory is one of the global research institutes acquired by DAMO Academy and is also its first research and development team composed exclusively of foreign scientists. Its members come from the US-based company Intel Corp, South Korean company Samsung, Tel Aviv University and other world-class research units.

It is expected that in the future, the Israeli research lab will serve as an innovation hub to develop new technology and business models with the combined advantages and expertise from both China and Israel.

Aside from Israel, the academy has also set up R&D centers and laboratories in many countries and regions, including Singapore and the United States.