Aitor Sánchez
Image:
Private

Aitor Sánchez

My Research Stay at Visual Intelligence: Aitor Sánchez

Aitor Sánchez is a PhD candidate at the Intelligent Systems Group of the University of the Basque Country in Spain. He visited Visual Intelligence in Tromsø from March to June 2025.

My Research Stay at Visual Intelligence: Aitor Sánchez

Aitor Sánchez is a PhD candidate at the Intelligent Systems Group of the University of the Basque Country in Spain. He visited Visual Intelligence in Tromsø from March to June 2025.

By Petter Bjørklund, Communications Officer at SFI Visual Intelligence

Tell us about your PhD project 

My research focuses on the use of self-supervised learning for time series anomaly detection. I design and implement methods that can identify anomalous regions in time-dependent data across a variety of domains, without requiring specialized knowledge about the specific data. This includes detecting events such as arrhythmias in electrocardiograms, seizures in electroencephalograms, or even water leaks in water distribution systems.

Why did you choose Tromsø and Visual Intelligence for your research stay?

One of the main drawbacks of current methods for anomaly detection in time series is their lack of explainability. To help bridge this gap in the literature, I chose the Visual Intelligence at UiT because of their extensive work in explainable deep learning. Additionally, a few years ago, another PhD candidate from my group conducted her research stay with this same team and had a very positive experience, which was also an important factor in my decision to come to Tromsø.

What has been the outcome of your research stay?

My experience with Visual Intelligence at UiT has been fantastic. I have had the privilege of working with Robert Jensen, Elisabeth Wetzer, Michael Kampffmeyer, Kristoffer Knutsen, and Tianchao Li, who, in addition to being outstanding researchers, are also incredibly kind and welcoming people. Before this research stay, I had never worked in the field of explainable AI, and I feel I have learned a lot. We are currently working together on a deep learning method for time series anomaly detection that combines the strengths of self-supervised learning and explainable AI, which we hope will make a valuable contribution to the field. Professionally, this stay has been a truly rewarding and valuable experience for my development as a researcher.

How was life in Tromsø?

Apart from enjoying a great professional environment, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people, both inside and outside Visual Intelligence. I already miss the Thursday evenings when we went to Fun Pub for karaoke sessions, always surrounded by the group’s kindness and good energy. I must also admit that, even though I was a bit of a midnight sun hater while I was in Tromsø, I now wish I could go back to those sunny nights spent hiking in beautiful landscapes or visiting the botanical garden. Many thanks to everyone who made this experience truly unforgettable. I promise I’ll come back visiting!

Latest news

Visual Intelligence at Forskningsdagene 2025

September 28, 2025

Visual Intelligence researchers participated in this year's Forskningsdagene: an annual national research festival which aims to stimulate the general public's interest and curiosity in research.

forskning.no: Derfor trenger vi en lov for kunstig intelligens

September 26, 2025

Norge arbeider med å få på plass en egen lov for kunstig intelligens. Loven skal passe på at vi bruker KI på en trygg måte (Norwegian news article at uit.no).

Visual Intelligence Days 2025: Two packed days of scientific and social interactions!

September 25, 2025

85 researchers from the Visual Intelligence consortium convened for the Visual Intelligence Days: the annual workshop where researchers, user partners and invited guests convene to share knowledge and updates on the latest research and innovations within the centre.

uit.no: Hvordan håndtere skjevheter og beskytte personvernet i KI-alderen?

September 11, 2025

Det skal eksperter på kunstig intelligens, cybersikkerhet og juss fra UiT Norges arktiske universitet diskutere på Verdensteatret Kino den 17. september. Arrangementet er gratis og åpen for alle (Norwegian news article at uit.no)

Successful PhD defense by Nikita Shvetsov

August 27, 2025

Congratulations to Nikita Shvetsov for successfully defending his PhD thesis and achieving the PhD degree in Science at UiT The Arctic University of Norway on August 27th 2025.

uit.no: – UiT er langt fremme når det gjelder kunstig intelligens

August 25, 2025

Det sa digitaliseringsminister Karianne Tung (Ap) da hun besøkte UiT Norges arktiske universitet i Tromsø for å lære mer om utdanning og toppforskning på kunstig intelligens ved universitetet (Norwegian news article at uit.no)

Two successful PhD defenses within two days

August 22, 2025

Congratulations to Iver Martinsen and Durgesh Kumar Singh, who successfully defended their PhD theses at UiT The Arctic University of Norway on August 20th and 21st respectively.

Visual Intelligence at Arendalsuka 2025

August 14, 2025

Visual Intelligence brought together academia, industry, the institute sector, the Research Council of Norway, and Norwegian politics to discuss why and how Norwegian academia and industry should collaborate more closely to develop innovative artificial intelligence.

My Research Stay at Visual Intelligence: João Campagnolo

August 1, 2025

João Campagnolo is a PhD Candidate in the Neuroscience Department of the University of Copenhagen (KU). He visited SFI Visual Intelligence in Tromsø from April to May 2025.

16 EUGLOH Mobility Scholarships for NLDL Winter School 2026: Apply Now!

July 29, 2025

Students from EUGLOH partner institutions can now apply for an exclusive mobility scholarship worth 2 900 EUR for the NLDL 2026 Winter School. Application deadline October 3rd 2025

2025 Norwegian AI Society Symposium: An insightful and collaborative event

June 23, 2025

More than 50 attendees from the Norwegian AI research community gathered in Tromsø, Norway for two days of insightful presentations, interactive technical sessions, and scientific and social interactions.

Minister of Research and Higher Education visits Visual Intelligence hub at Norwegian Computing Center

June 16, 2025

Last week, we wished Aasland—accompanied by Political Advisor Munir Jaber and Senior Adviser Finn-Hugo Markussen—welcome to the Norwegian Computing Center (NR). One of the visit's goals was to showcase ongoing Visual Intelligence projects at NR.

Visual Intelligence represented at EAGE Annual 2025

June 15, 2025

Alba Ordoñez and Anders U. Waldeland presented ongoing work on seismic foundation models and an interactive seismic interpretation engine at EAGE Annual 2025 in Toulouse, France.

Visual Intelligence PhD Fellow Eirik Østmo featured on Abels tårn

June 13, 2025

Østmo was invited to Abels tårn—one of the largest popular science radio shows in Norway—to answer listener-submitted questions related to artificial Intelligence (AI). The live show took place at Blårock Cafe in Tromsø, Norway on June 12th.