Jarek Reynolds

About

I am a PhD student in Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, advised by Dr. Danna Gurari and co-advised by Dr. Jeffrey R. Hebert. My research focuses on disability-centered computer vision, human-centered perception, and the creation of datasets for underrepresented populations.

Prior to pursuing computer science, I served for six years in the United States Air Force as an Airborne Cryptologic Linguist and Tactical Support Operator, completing six combat deployments totaling 462 days in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Traumatic brain injuries sustained during my service led me to the Marcus Institute for Brain Health, where a clinical evaluation identified a fundamental disruption in my brain's ability to filter visual information. This experience serves as the foundation for my research.

I hold a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science and am currently completing a Ph.D. in Computer Science at CU Boulder. Additionally, I earned an M.A. in Conflict Resolution from the University of Denver, a B.S. in International Security and Intelligence Studies from Bellevue University, and a Diploma in Persian Farsi from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center.

Research

My research investigates how visual attention and gaze behavior differ across diverse populations, with a focus on individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). I study saliency prediction and visual perception through a disability-centered lens, working to build datasets and models that better represent underserved communities.

I conduct this research in collaboration with the Marcus Institute for Brain Health at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus. This work is conducted within the Image and Video Computing Group at CU Boulder, which also leads the VizWiz Grand Challenge for blind and low-vision users.

Broadly, my work aims to support the development of assistive technologies, clinical tools, and adaptive interfaces that account for differences in visual processing.

Research Interests

• Salient object detection
• Hierarchical segmentation
• Disability-centered computer vision
• Privacy-preserving visual information
• Saliency prediction and visual attention modeling
• Dataset design, benchmarking, and evaluation for human-centered perception

Publications

1. J. Reynolds, C. K. Nagesh, D. Gurari. Salient Object Detection for Images Taken by People with Vision Impairments. IEEE/CVF Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision (WACV), 2024. [paper]
2. J. Myers-Dean, J. Reynolds, B. Price, Y. Fan, D. Gurari. SPIN: Hierarchical Segmentation with Subpart Granularity in Natural Images. European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV), 2024. [paper]
3. S. Pandey, J. Myers-Dean, J. Reynolds, D. Gurari. Interpreting COVID Lateral Flow Tests' Results with Foundation Models. IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Workshops (CVPRW), 2024. [paper]
4. N. Prasad, J. Reynolds, N. Karsanbhai, T. Sharma, L. Zhang, A. Stangl, et al. Hierarchical Instance Tracking to Balance Privacy Preservation with Accessible Information. IEEE/CVF Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision (WACV), 2026. [paper]

Background

Education

Military Service

Awards

• USAF ISR Agency Airman of the Year (Level 2), 2008
• 97th Intelligence Squadron Cryptologic Operator of the Year, 2008
• 97th Intelligence Squadron Tactical Support Operator of the Year, 2008
• 10 Air Medals for meritorious achievement in aerial flight, 2004-2010
• Air Force Achievement Medal, 2010

CV & Resume