Huda Diab Abdulgalil is a PhD student in the Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (PAMI) research group within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
After a record-breaking number of registrations for the 2025 GRADflix competition, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs announced the finalists whose videos will be featured at the upcoming GRADflix Showcase. The competition, which invites graduate students from across campus to create 60-second videos showcasing their research, highlights students’ ability to combine creativity and scientific communication while gaining visibility for their work and expanding their professional networks.
The GRADflix competition serves as a platform for students to enhance their communication and creative skills, offering them the opportunity to connect with a wider audience. The finalists’ videos will be screened at the GRADflix Showcase, where winners will be awarded prizes ranging from $250 to $750.
This year’s showcase, scheduled for February 4 at Federation Hall, promises to be an exciting event. In addition to the premiere of the finalists' videos, the event will also introduce a new feature: the Finalist’s Choice award. This new award will allow the finalists to vote for their favorite video created by a peer.
We are especially excited to celebrate one of our own finalists: Huda Diab Abdulgalil, a PhD student in the Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (PAMI) research group within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). Huda’s groundbreaking research in automated image captioning has earned her a spot in the final round of the competition.
Her GRADflix submission, titled "AI-Visual-Captioning: Towards Boosting the Performance of Automated Image Captioning Models for Intelligent Assistive Technology and Border Real-World Impact!", explores the development of an efficient automated image captioning framework. Leveraging cutting-edge deep learning and attention models, Huda’s research aims to support critical real-world applications, including autonomous vehicles and assistive technologies designed to aid blind or visually impaired individuals.
Huda's video will premiere at the GRADflix Showcase; the event promises to be an inspiring celebration of research and innovation, highlighting the diverse and impactful work being done by graduate students at the University of Waterloo.
Join us at the GRADflix Showcase on February 4 at Federation Hall to cheer on Huda and the other finalists as they present their research and vie for top prizes!