Resume

AI/ML Engineer specializing in Healthcare NLP & Large Language Models

Summary

Hadeel Elyazori

PhD student in Information Technology specializing in Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing, with 5+ years of experience building AI systems for healthcare and public-sector applications. Hands-on experience developing LLM-based applications, including prompt-engineered information extraction pipelines, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) workflows, and AI conversational agents.

Education

PhD in Information Technology (INFT)

Sep 2022 - May 2027 (Expected)

George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

Concentration: Information Science and Technology (ISTC)

Fellowship: IDIA Predoctoral Fellowship Recipient

Master of Science: Applied Information Technology

Sep 2022 - May 2024

George Mason University, Fairfax, VA

GPA: 3.9/4.0

Concentration: Machine Learning Engineering (MLE)

Bachelor of Science: Computer Science

Aug 2018 - May 2022

American University of Beirut, Lebanon

GPA: 4.0/4.0

Scholarship: US MEPI Tomorrow's Leaders Undergraduate Scholarship

Exchange: American University, Washington D.C. (Aug 2021 - Dec 2021)

Technical Skills

NLP & LLMs

  • Models: OpenAI GPT (3.5/4/4o), Meta Llama (2/3), Anthropic Claude, Google Flan-T5, Mistral, BERT variants
  • Techniques: Fine-tuning (LoRA/QLoRA), Prompt Engineering, RAG Systems, Vector Databases (FAISS, Chroma), Few-shot/Zero-shot Learning
  • Tools: Hugging Face Transformers, LangChain

Programming & ML

  • Languages: Python (Advanced), R, Java, C++, C#
  • ML/DL: PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, Keras
  • Data & MLOps: SQL, Git/GitHub, Docker, HPC (Slurm), AWS, Azure, REST APIs
  • Analytics: Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, Matlab, Streamlit

Leadership & Service

Graduate Student Representative

Sep 2025 - Present

Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions (CASBBI), GMU

Serve as liaison between graduate students and center leadership

Graduate Student Representative

Sep 2024 - Present

Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA), GMU

Represent INFT PhD students in monthly meetings and advocate for student concerns

Board Member

Sep 2024 - May 2025

International Student Advisory Board (ISAB), GMU

Represent doctoral international students and advocate for academic, social, and career needs

Professional Experience

Graduate Research Assistant

Jan 2023 - Present

Lybarger's Language Lab, George Mason University, VA

  • Conducting error analysis of LLM-assisted annotation using semantic clustering (HDBSCAN, Agglomerative) on 30+ MI transcripts to identify systematic disagreements and inform schema refinement
  • Designed and evaluated zero-shot and few-shot LLM information extraction pipelines (Llama-3.3) for ICF concept identification, generating 20+ synthetic MI transcripts
  • Led chronic-pain narratives project, coordinating data collection for 10+ MI transcripts and collaborating with clinical teams to develop annotation framework spanning 18 biopsychosocial categories
  • Built NLP framework using LLMs (Flan-T5, GPT) to extract structured information from probation and parole supervisory notes, achieving F1 0.89 for condition classification

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Jan 2023 - May 2024

IST Department, George Mason University, VA

  • Supported 100+ students in Web Server Administration and iOS Mobile Development through tutoring, lab sessions, and technical mentorship
  • Graded assignments, exams, and projects, offering detailed feedback to enhance learning outcomes

Machine Learning Intern

Mar 2021 - Jul 2022

Dar Al-Handasah, Lebanon

  • Developed Python automation pipeline and implemented DNNs/GANs for building energy optimization, reducing manual workflow by 30% and heat gain by 15–20%
  • Designed end-to-end ML pipeline including data preprocessing, model training, and performance validation for production deployment

Selected Publications

Published Papers

  • H. R. A. Elyazori et al., "Capturing patients' lived experiences with chronic pain through motivational interviewing and information extraction," Proc. Second Workshop on Patient-Oriented Language Processing (CL4Health), NAACL 2025
  • H. Elyazori et al., "Exploring probation and parole records using natural language processing: A case study of supervisory condition notes," Federal Probation Journal, 2023
  • F. Alemi et al., "Causal networks guiding large language models: Application to COVID-19," Health Care Management Science, Oct. 2025

Under Review

  • K. Lybarger et al., "Natural language processing of clinical data," Springer Handbook of Data Engineering, submitted Aug. 2024
  • A. B. Kayira, H. R. A. Elyazori et al., "Applying natural language processing to clinical notes in cancer research and clinical practice: a scoping review," Journal of Medical Informatics, submitted Oct. 2025
  • F. Alemi et al., "Medical Artificial General Intelligence Algorithm: Estimation of Dependent Bayes through Causal Networks," AI in Medicine, submitted Nov. 2025

Presentations & Awards

  • First Place Winner - IST PhD Symposium Lightning Talk, George Mason University, April 2025
  • Poster Presentation - Second Workshop on CL4Health, NAACL 2025
  • Lightning Talk - Women in High Performance Computing (VA-WHPC), November 2024
  • Research Presentation - AI-in-Gov Talent & Innovation Mixer, CEC, GMU, April 2025