Our Team
Soheil Feizi, Founder and CEO of RELAI, is a renowned expert in the field of reliable and trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI). Currently on leave from his academic position as an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland, he holds a Ph.D. from MIT and completed his postdoctoral research at Stanford University.
Dr. Feizi has received numerous prestigious awards including the 2025 Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE)—the highest honor granted by the U.S. government to early-career scientists and engineers. He has also received numerous other distinctions, including the ONR Young Investigator Award, NSF CAREER Award, ARO Early Career Program Award, two best paper awards, the Ernst Guillemin Thesis Award, a teaching award, and over twenty research awards from national agencies and industry partners. His contributions to AI reliability have been featured by The Washington Post, BBC, MIT Technology Review, Bloomberg, and The Wire.
In addition to his research and leadership roles, Dr. Feizi recently testified before the U.S. House's Bipartisan Task Force on AI, highlighting his commitment to advancing AI in ways that ensure safety, accuracy, and trust.
Priyatham Kattakinda is the Technical Lead at RELAI, where he drives the development of cutting-edge AI technologies. Before joining RELAI, Dr. Kattakinda earned his PhD from the University of Maryland, focusing on improving the reliability of large language models and vision models, particularly in uncommon and challenging settings.
In addition to his academic achievements, Dr. Kattakinda completed the NSF I-Corps program at the national level, serving as the Entrepreneurial Lead. He was also honored with the Outstanding Graduate Assistant award from the University of Maryland's Graduate School for his contributions in advancing AI reliability both in academic and commercial settings.
Dr. Kattakinda also brings extensive expertise from his previous roles in developing production-level AI tools, making him a valuable leader in AI innovation.
Wenxiao Wang is the Head of AI at RELAI, where he champions the development of innovative AI solutions. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland and his B.S. in Computer Science from the prestigious Yao Class at Tsinghua University.
Dr. Wang's research spans various fields of AI, with a recent focus on reliable and trustworthy agentic LLMs. His work has been published in top AI conferences such as ICML, ICLR, and NeurIPS.
He has gained experience in both academic and industrial research labs, with roles at Sony AI, ByteDance, Tsinghua University, and UC Berkeley—shaping a well-rounded perspective that continues to guide his work at the intersection of research and real-world impact.
Jaweria Asif is a Software Engineer at RELAI, where she builds reliable and scalable AI systems. She holds a Master of Science in Machine Learning from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from the Institute of Business Administration.
She has hands-on experience developing AI solutions at Folio3 Software and Mindstorm Studios. She combines strong technical skills with a passion for creating trustworthy and impactful AI technologies.
Alireza Bavafa is a product professional with an MBA in Marketing and a Master’s in Business Analytics from the University of Maryland, where he graduated with distinction. With a strong foundation in engineering and advanced analytical training, he brings a unique blend of technical, business, and marketing expertise. Alireza has a proven track record of leveraging data science, machine learning, and statistical modeling to drive strategic decisions and measurable business outcomes. His professional experience spans startups, academia, and industry-leading companies, where he developed predictive models, led A/B testing for marketing campaigns, and automated analytics processes achieving improvements in efficiency, conversion rates, and data quality. Recognized for both individual contributions and collaborative leadership, he has also won awards for innovation in AI applications and has consistently turned complex data into actionable strategies that enhance customer experience, support product development, and fuel business growth.
Amin is a software engineer at RELAI, where he leverages his industrial expertise to design and develop cutting-edge AI-based products, incorporating recent advancements in machine learning and generative AI technologies. He earned his Master's degree from the University of British Columbia, specializing in Safe Optimization. Following his studies, Amin immersed himself in the startup ecosystem, accumulating years of industry experience. As a former founder of an AI startup, he brings a wealth of technical proficiency to his role at RELAI.