Academic Degrees
PhD – Political Science – University of Southern California
MA – Political Science – University of California, Santa Barbara
BA – Political Science – University of California, Irvine
Areas of Interest in Artificial Intelligence
Scalable systems, machine learning platforms, Embedded Generative AI.
About
Dr. Rod Albuyeh is a data scientist, AI leader, and educator with extensive experience designing and scaling production-grade machine learning systems in enterprise environments. He is currently Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence at Figure, where his work focuses on building reliable AI systems for operationally complex, high-stakes financial technology settings. His expertise spans deep learning, MLOps, generative AI, machine learning platforms, and time-series modeling, with deployments across healthcare, finance, and technology.
Albuyeh has led applied research and engineering efforts, architected end-to-end ML platforms, and advised on integrating machine learning into regulated, enterprise-scale environments. Before Figure, he served as Principal Data Scientist at Labcorp, where he focused on scalable ML infrastructure and end-to-end model pipelines. Earlier in his career, he held technical leadership roles across FinTech and HealthTech, contributing to mission-critical AI initiatives at Intuit, Oportun, Figure, and ResMed.
In academia, Albuyeh teaches at USD and UCSD, where his courses and instruction emphasize applied AI, data systems, machine learning fundamentals, and the connection between foundational theory and real-world production systems.
Advice for students considering USD’s MS-AAI program
Separate your practice from your profession as you embark on a career in artificial intelligence. Even after you land your dream job, continue to practice separately from your work. Continue to challenge yourself and learn. This field rewards those with a lifelong thirst for knowledge.