Bharathan Balaji is a Senior Applied Scientist at Amazon that works on developing methods and systems that leverage machine learning (ML) to address global challenges such as waste reduction, education, and automation. He has over 5 years of experience in applied research and innovation, with a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from UC San Diego. His core interests include machine learning (ML), smart buildings, internet of things (IoT), and sustainability. He has contributed to the launch and growth of AWS products such as SageMaker RL and DeepRacer, enabling customers across various domains to solve complex problems with RL (reinforcement learning). He has also collaborated with leading academic institutions and published 62 papers in top-tier venues, with more than 3000 citations. He is passionate about making a positive impact on the world through ML and technology.