Sebastian Mocanu Profile Picture - AI Research Scientist and PhD Candidate

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Hello, Sebastian here

I'm a PhD candidate at University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, researching Computer Vision and Robotics.
My work focuses on vision-based control for autonomous UAVs, combining self-supervised learning with efficient neural networks for real-time drone flight.
I'm always open to research collaborations. If our interests overlap, feel free to reach out.

Publications




Sebastian Mocanu, Sebastian-Ion Nae, Mihai-Eugen Barbu, Marius Leordeanu

Introduces a self-supervised neuro-analytical, cost efficient, model for visual-based quadrotor control in which a small 1.7M parameters student ConvNet learns automatically from an analytical teacher, an improved Image-Based Visual Servoing (IBVS) controller.

Sebastian Mocanu, Emil Slusanschi, Marius Leordeanu

Presents a vision-only autonomous flight system for small UAVs operating in indoor environments. The system combines semantic segmentation with monocular depth estimation to estimate metric depth and enable obstacle avoidance, scene exploration, and autonomous safe landing.

Some of my projects




Departamentul de Termotehnică, Motoare, Echipamente Termice şi Frigorifice-Inginerie Mecanică şi Mecatronică - Universitatea POLITEHNICA Bucuresti.

TMETF Department Website UPB

HTML Logo CSS Logo JavaScript Logo Bootstrap Logo Python Logo Django Logo MySQL Logo

I worked on this site from scratch, its purpose is to be informative for the students at the SET program. It's made so it is easy to manage, the admin can modify almost every page.

Check it Out
Final Project for Android Fundamentals

Android Portfolio

Java Logo Android Logo Retrofit Logo SQLite Logo

For the final project within the Google Digital Workshop for programmers - Android Fundamentals I made a portfolio application with all the challenges and tasks I had during the course.

More Details Tasks Repo
Calculations and recommendations regarding a flying mobile robot

Drone Calculus

HTML Logo CSS Logo JavaScript Logo Bootstrap Logo

For my bachelor's diploma project, I synthesized a calculus of 20 pages in a web application in which if some initial data are entered, some coefficients will be calculated, and the user will receive some recommendations.

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Desktop App about Forier series

Fourier Series Application

Python Logo Tkinter Logo

Using Python and Tkinter I've made a desktop application in order to compute Fourier Series coefficients more easily and to also visualize the wave graph.

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A Python Fourier module for harmonic components

Fourier Components Module

Python Logo

I am working for a Fourier Harmonics Components Module in Python. Its purpose is to add the waves from a signal to reconstruct it.

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Histogram app with React, D3, GraphQL and Apollo

Total Posts 2019

HTML Logo CSS Logo JavaScript Logo ReactJS Logo D3JS Logo GraphQL Logo Apollo Logo

I've made a ReactJS histogram using D3 and GraphQL API with Apollo comunication. It shows the number of posts from each month.

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A Java app who processes the data from a sensor.

Processing Sensor Data CSV

Java Logo Arduino Logo

I've used Java in order to manipulate CSV data from a sensor to order and label it in different CSVs, so I can use the new CSVs in Python.

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An app in python to connect to Arduino and plot data with TCP/IP protocol.

Multithreaded Sensor Data

Python Logo Arduino Logo TCP/IP Logo

This is a multithreaded Python code in which I use data from a Sensor to plot it, send it to Arduino to use Serial Plot and it has a TCP/IP connection.

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Laravel Fullstack Application with Admin page.

Administrate Users Site

HTML Logo CSS Logo JavaScript Logo Bootstrap Logo MySQL Logo PHP Logo Laravel Logo

This is a web application in Laravel with a register page, a login page and an admin page in which the admin can modify user's data.

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About Me


Behind the Research

While my days are spent training neural networks and crashing drones in both simulations and real-world environments, I believe that a balanced mind drives better research.

When I step away from the terminal, I'm usually unwinding with my guitar or diving into video games. I'm also supervised by my full-time lab assistant, Felis Domesticus Maple (my Calico cat), who personally tests the durability of every keyboard I own.

Maple the Calico Cat - Chief Morale Officer

F. D. Maple, Chief Morale Officer

Work Experience


AI Research Scientist

University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest
February 2024 - Present

Developing a digital-twin of an indoor testing facility using Unreal Engine, enabling real-world test replication in simulation to validate autonomous drone systems prior to physical deployment. Conducting vision-based autonomous flight experiments within the simulated environment, focusing on Computer Vision, C++, and Python.

Research Assistant

University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest & Google
April 2023 - November 2023
June 2022 - April 2023 (Part-time)

Starting from my master's thesis, I joined a collaboration with Google to develop a fully autonomous vision-based quadcopter. The project progressed from part-time research into a full-time role, where we combined computer vision, control theory, and reinforcement learning to build a drone capable of continuous in-scene flight, autonomously navigating around obstacles while locating its designated landing point.

Software Developer

Endava
December 2021 - April 2023

Worked within an Agile team at a multinational banking institution, contributing to the optimization of payment processing backend systems. Our team led the migration of critical Oracle database segments to MongoDB, significantly accelerating read operations and improving system response times. Additionally built a full-stack application for accessing Amazon S3 bucket contents, which reduced tooling costs for the testing team.

Freelance Web Developer

April 2021 - October 2021

Designed and developed responsive websites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Django, including the Thermotechnics Department website at UPB.

Waydev

November 2020 - January 2021

Built a worker service to improve the cloning and processing pipeline for Git repositories using Python, FastAPI, and Laravel.

Tech Stack


These are the technologies that I've learned or worked with.

AI / ML


Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, OpenCV, CUDA, Hugging Face and Weights & Biases.

Robotics & Simulation


C++, OpenGL, SDL, Unreal Engine, Unity, ROS, Gazebo, Raspberry Pi, and Arduino.

Development


Java, Spring Boot, Django, Flask, MySQL, Oracle, MongoDB, SQLite, Amazon S3, Apache and Android (with Java).

Design


HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript, React, Photoshop, Illustrator, Draw.io and Excalidraw.

Tools


Docker, Git, GNU/Linux, CMake, Maven, Ruff, mypy, CI/CD and Bash.

Education


PhD in Computer Science

October 2023 - Present

PhD candidate at UPB University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest focusing on Computer Vision and Robotics, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Marius Leordeanu and Prof. Dr. Eng. Emil Slusanschi. Research on visual servoing, autonomous vision-based UAV flight, and continual learning for drones.

Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence

October 2021 - September 2023

Faculty of Automatic Control and Computers at UPB University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest. Specialized in Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing and Reinforcement Learning. Master's thesis on vision-based autonomous quadcopter control, under supervision of Prof. Dr. Marius Leordeanu.

Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics and Robotics

September 2017 - July 2021

Faculty of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at UPB University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest. Gained hands-on experience in mechanical, electrical, and software aspects of robotics, building a drone and a robotic arm.

Psycho-Pedagogical Module I & II

September 2017 - September 2023

Teaching certification completed alongside bachelor's and master's studies, qualifying for instruction at both high school and university level.

Those are my certificates... yet





You can verify those certificates by clicking on them.


Let's work together!