Columbia, SC—April 16, 2025, Computer Science Senior Tosin Jimoh was awarded the First Place Undergraduate Student Winner certificate during the SC Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) State Conference on April 4, 2025, for his poster presentation and research titled “Autoencoders vs FGSM: Comparison of Machine Learning Models for Detecting Adversarial Perturbations in Image Classification.”
Describing the purpose of his research, Jimoh says, “I have been working on autoencoders since my junior year. We have been writing different programs, going back and forth. This semester was when I had better insight and was able to produce good results that can be used for further research. My research aims to reduce the impacts of cyberthreats as it relates to machine learning/artificial intelligence for autonomous technology.”
Jimoh credits Computer Science Associate Professor Balaji Iyangar for assisting him in achieving his goals and completing his senior research project. “Dr. Balaji is the main inspiration that allowed me to push myself. I had to write a lot of programs to make sure everything works and produces results,” Jimoh says.
Iyangar describes working with Jimoh as he completed his senior research project. Iyangar says, “Tosin Jimoh has demonstrated a strong dedication to his studies, going above and beyond by participating in cutting-edge research under my supervision. It was a pleasure working with him on my project focused on Adversarial Perturbations in Image Classification. This research experience has provided Tosin with a solid foundation for his future and has prepared him well for his career.”
Jimoh’s project was strengthened through a research collaboration supported by the National Center for Transportation Cybersecurity and Resiliency (TraCR) headquartered at Clemson University, where Jimoh was able to engage with advanced methodologies and expand his experimental scope alongside graduate-level researchers. Benedict College is a partner institution in TraCR, a diverse, experienced, and geographically distributed consortium. Jimoh completed software engineering internships with Meta during his freshman, sophomore, and junior years. These experiences were instrumental in shaping his career path and led to a full-time return offer.
Jimoh explains how his work as a software engineer is to develop code for applications. “I tell a lot of people that when you open Instagram there is a lot of code that runs in the background. A lot of people don’t understand how complicated it is for us to make the app look very simple.” With Jimoh’s time at Benedict soon ending, he shares, “I came to Benedict because they gave me the best scholarship. Also, it’s an HBCU. I wanted a family. I wanted a school that felt like a community. Benedict was perfect for that atmosphere. Jimoh will graduate in May and begin working full-time as a software engineer at Meta in June.
Photo Credit: Sariyah Hawkins, Benedict College Mass Communication major, senior
For additional information contact: Keisa Gunby, Ph.D., 803.705.4574
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About Benedict College (www.benedict.edu)
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution offering 29 competitive baccalaureate degree programs and two master’s degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from several counties in South Carolina, states across America, and countries around the world. The College also has a diverse faculty deeply engaged in teaching, research, and service.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. Benedict College is the recipient of the 2024 UNCF Institutional Excellence Award given by UNCF’s Institute for Capacity Building Program in celebration of an HBCU that achieved next-level performance. Benedict was also named HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest and was listed among the top half of ranked HBCUs in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges by US News and World Report.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering, Studio Art, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
