Academic Research Portfolio

Building practical AI perception systems for robotics, autonomous systems, and intelligent sensing.

I am a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at South Dakota State University. My research interests are in computer vision for robotics and autonomous systems, distributed and Federated Learning, and multi-agent AI systems.

My recent work focuses on AI-based sensing, automation, and real-world perception pipelines. I have worked on RGB-D phenotyping platforms, semantic segmentation for crop disease analysis, real-time seed identification with GPS-based spatial mapping, and AI-based automation systems.

View Projects Publications

🔥 News

  • Aug. 2026: Our paper FedSceneX: Time-to-Target Orchestration for Same-Scene Multimodal Federated Edge Learning was released as a preprint on arXiv.
  • Jan. 2026: Started Ph.D. in Computer Science at South Dakota State University.
  • Nov. 2025: Completed M.S. in Computer Science at South Dakota State University.
  • 2025: Published ST-Hybrid: Dynamic Graph Learning with Multi-Scale Spatio-Temporal Attention for Traffic Forecasting.
  • 2025: Worked as AI Research Assistant in the Machine Vision and Optical Sensor Lab.
  • 2025: Designed RGB-D phenotyping platform components and deep-learning segmentation pipelines.

Research Interests

Computer Vision for Robotics

Perception methods for autonomous robots operating in real-world environments.

RGB-D Sensing

Sensor integration, depth data processing, and stable measurement pipelines.

Autonomous Systems

Reliable, efficient AI systems for unmanned ground vehicles and aerial systems.

Distributed & Federated Learning

Learning systems across heterogeneous devices, clients, and data sources.

Multi-Agent AI Systems

Planner, executor, verifier, and supervisor frameworks for automation.

AI for Agriculture

Smart sensing, crop image analysis, and plant trait extraction.

Education

South Dakota State University

Ph.D. in Computer Science · Jan. 2026 – Present

South Dakota State University

M.S. in Computer Science · Aug. 2023 – Nov. 2025

Thesis: ST-Hybrid: Dynamic Graph Learning with Multi-Scale Spatio-Temporal Attention for Traffic Forecasting.

Sun Moon University, South Korea

B.S. in Computer Science · Mar. 2019 – Feb. 2023

📚 Selected Publications

  1. Dhe Yeong Tchalla, Beining Wu, Jun Huang, Shuyang Gu, and Qiang Duan. FedSceneX: Time-to-Target Orchestration for Same-Scene Multimodal Federated Edge Learning. arXiv preprint arXiv:2608.07730, 2026.
  2. Dhe Yeong Tchalla. ST-Hybrid: Dynamic Graph Learning with Multi-Scale Spatio-Temporal Attention for Traffic Forecasting. ACR 2025. Published.
  3. Pappy Yadav, ..., Dhe Yeong Tchalla, et al. AI-driven Web Application for Early Detection of Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in Soybean Leaves Using Hyperspectral Images and Genetic Algorithm. Published.
  4. Dhe Yeong Tchalla, et al. 3D Phenotyping of Soybean with AI, RGB-D Sensor and PhenAI-Bot in Greenhouse. Manuscript in preparation, 2026.

Selected Research Projects

RGB-D

Autonomous RGB-D Phenotyping Platform

Designed core components of an autonomous RGB-D phenotyping platform and integrated synchronized RGB-D sensors to improve trait-estimation stability.

RGB-D · Robotics · Computer Vision

SEG

Wheat Disease Semantic Segmentation

Trained and optimized U-Net-based segmentation pipelines for wheat disease analysis and crop health monitoring.

Segmentation · PyTorch · Agriculture AI

GPS

Real-Time Seed Identification

Developed a YOLOv9-based real-time seed identification model with GPS-based spatial mapping.

Detection · GPS · Real-Time AI

ST

ST-Hybrid Traffic Forecasting

Developed a dynamic graph learning model with multi-scale spatio-temporal attention for traffic forecasting.

Graph Learning · Forecasting · Attention

MA

Multi-Agent Android UI Automation

Built a Planner/Executor/Verifier/Supervisor system for autonomous Android UI testing using Python, ADB, OpenCV, and GPT APIs.

Multi-Agent AI · OpenCV · Automation

MCP

Intelligent Research Assistant with MCP

Developed a multi-agent research assistant with semantic search over academic papers and documentation.

MCP · RAG · FastAPI

Research Experience

AI Research Assistant

Machine Vision and Optical Sensor Lab, South Dakota State University · Sep. 2025 – Nov. 2025

  • Conducted research on AI-based sensing and automation using robotics, unmanned ground vehicles, and unmanned aerial systems.
  • Developed C, C++, and Python scripts for processing RGB, multispectral, and hyperspectral crop imagery.
  • Collaborated on algorithm development, experimental testing, and automation workflows.

AI Research Intern

Machine Vision and Optical Sensor Lab, South Dakota State University · May 2025 – Aug. 2025

  • Designed core components of an autonomous RGB-D phenotyping platform.
  • Integrated synchronized RGB-D sensors to improve measurement stability.
  • Implemented deep-learning segmentation and morphology pipelines for plant trait extraction.
  • Conducted comparative model evaluations and error analyses for deployment suitability.

Student Researcher

Raven Precision Agriculture Center, South Dakota State University · Oct. 2023 – Apr. 2025

  • Developed a YOLOv9-based model for real-time seed identification with GPS-based spatial mapping.
  • Trained and optimized a U-Net variant for semantic segmentation of wheat diseases.
  • Engineered and launched an internal web platform to showcase research projects and improve lab visibility.

🎓 Teaching

Teaching Assistant

CSC 474/574: Computer Networks
South Dakota State University · Spring 2026

  • Assisted with grading, course activities, and student support in computer networking.

CSC 150-S05: Computer Science I
South Dakota State University · Fall 2026

  • Assisted with grading, course activities, and student support.

CSC 250-S01: Computer Science II
South Dakota State University · Fall 2026

  • Assisted with grading, course activities, and student support.

🤝 Academic Service

Journal Reviewer

  • IEEE Network, 2026 – Present
  • IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 2026 – Present
  • Digital Communications and Networks, 2026 – Present

Technical Skills

PythonJavaJavaScriptSQLC/C++C# PyTorchTensorFlowOpenCVscikit-learnDeep LearningComputer Vision RGB-D SensingSensor IntegrationUGV/UASReactNext.jsNode.js FastAPIDockerGitLinuxPostgreSQLAWS