Theodore J. LaGrow

Researcher, Educator, ML Practitioner, Computational Neuroscientist

Hi, I’m TJ, welcome!! This site covers machine learning, teaching at scale, and product minded research. I am a Lecturer with Georgia Tech Professional Education and the College of Lifetime Learning, where I develop and teach applied, high-impact courses in the FlexStack program. My teaching spans artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies shaped by workforce and industry demand.

In parallel, I serve as Instructor of Record for Georgia Tech’s graduate Machine Learning course, CS7641. Each term, I lead more than 1,200 students supported by a staff of over 30 graduate teaching assistants and industry professionals. I oversee curriculum design, pedagogical strategy, and large-scale operations across three semesters each year.

My background spans engineering, business, and research. I hold a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an MBA from Georgia Tech. I have published work in neuroimaging and optimization, and I co-founded a medical imaging startup that holds a patent and has secured millions of dollars in funding.

Vancouver, WA · Georgia Tech · PhD ECE; MBA
Machine Learning Large Language Moduels Computer Vision Computational Neuroscience

Explore

Grants, Fellowships, Honors & Awards

Scholarships & Fellowships
United Way Metropolitan Dallas Healthcare Innovation Grant (Insight Optics, 2022–2023) — $500k/year non-dilutive.
Graduate Research Assistantship Fellowship (2017–2019), GT/Emory BME.
Presidential Undergraduate Research Scholarship (2016–2017), University of Oregon.
UO Presidential Scholarship (2013–2017) · Summit Scholarship (2013–2017) · Intel Scholarship (2013).
Awards
Institutional Winner — Online TA of the Year (2023).
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant Award (College of Computing & ECE: 2020, 2021, 2023).
NSF GRFP Honorable Mention (2019).
Other Recognitions
Sigma Xi Associate Member (2019).
First Place (Team Lead) — NYU/MLB Media Lab Hackathon (2017).

Timeline

AI Systems & Large-Scale Teaching
2025 – Present · Georgia Tech
Faculty & Lead AI/LLM Expert.
Leads FlexStack AI and generative AI initiatives; designs production-grade course infrastructure so thousands of professionals can learn modern AI with telemetry, reliability, and sane operations.
AI strategyLLM systemsprogram designscale
2020 – Present · OMSCS / CS7641 & CS7642
Operating ML/RL at 1,000+ learner scale.
Architect for flagship ML/RL courses: 30+ TAs, 1,000–1,400+ learners/term, structured TA pipelines, robust grading, and continuous experimentation instead of folklore.
ML educationops & toolingevaluation
Brain Networks, Signals & Scientific Rigor
2019 – 2025 · Georgia Tech / Keilholz MIND Lab
PhD in ECE · Spatiotemporal brain dynamics & neurodegeneration.
Developed methods for quasi-periodic patterns, cross-species connectivity, and AD progression; co-authored tools like QPPLab and multi-site studies that care about robustness, not just pretty plots.
fMRIsignal processingnetworksmethodology
2019 – 2023
M.S. ECE & research scientist.
Built end-to-end pipelines (acquisition → QC → modeling → interpretation) for large neuroimaging datasets.
pipelinesreproducibilitytooling
2022 · Scheller College of Business
MBA with a deep-tech / product lens.
Added venture, product, and go-to-market discipline to research and engineering instincts.
productstrategycommercialization
Applied AI & Clinical-Grade Products
2018 – 2024 · Insight Optics
Co-founder & Director of R&D.
Built ophthalmic imaging and triage systems connecting primary care and eye specialists; navigated clinical workflows, privacy, and reliability so models could be trusted in front of patients.
computer visionhealthcare AIregulationstartup ops
2018
Automated cytoarchitecture (ArCaDe).
First-author sparse-recovery methods for cellular density and layer estimation—math-heavy ideas turned into usable code and peer-reviewed results.
optimizationneuroimagingopen tools
Systems, Math & Tooling Foundations
2013 – 2017 · University of Oregon
Dual B.S. in CS & Mathematics.
HPC, NLP, probabilistic modeling, and an early paper on scientific software usage. Learned to pair technical work with clear explanation.
algorithmstheorycommunication
2015 – 2016 · ON Semiconductor
Secure systems at industrial scale.
Deployed hardened Windows images to 600+ ISO 5 cleanroom systems; real constraints in uptime, safety, and compliance.
infrasecurityops
Discipline, Performance & Teaching DNA
Pre-2013
Early reps that shaped how I teach & lead.
Eagle Scout, 3rd degree black belt, classical bass vocalist, theatre. Years of structured practice, coaching, and being on stage—carried directly into how complex ideas get broken down for other people.
mentorshipcommunicationresilience

How to Connect

Speaking, collaboration, consulting, or just curious? I’m easy to reach.

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