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Phillip Durst

Head of AI Science at Learn Collaborate

I’m happy to say I’ve had an eclectic and wonderful professional journey spanning many projects, teams, and research areas. I started as a Research Physicist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) back in 2009, working on autonomous and driverless vehicles. I then served as an Engineering Manager from 2018-2022 before joining Assured Information Security for a couple of years researching AI/ML for the military. After some more AI/ML military research with Bennett Aerospace from 2024-2025, I'm happy to have landed at Learn Collaborate as the Head of AI Science for what is very soon to be the best place to learn the soft skills that cannot be gained through current online learning platforms. Along the way, I taught video game design and computer vision at the Rochester Institute of Technology, freelanced as a copywriter and academic coach off-and-on since 2018, and even taught ESL to students in China during COVID. Now, I'm excited to see what adventure comes my way next.

Articles

Cover image for The Cities That Win: Culture, Not Code, Drives Innovation in Public Infrastructure
Infrastructure
The Cities That Win: Culture, Not Code, Drives Innovation in Public Infrastructure
<h2 class="mb-4 mt-6">Integrating Advanced Technologies into Infrastructure Management</h2><p class="mb-4"> As cities evolve, integrating advanced tec...
July 11, 2026Read article
Cover image for The New Rules of Data Centers: Transparency Sustainability and Shared Value
CybersecurityArtificial Intelligence
The New Rules of Data Centers: Transparency Sustainability and Shared Value
<p class="mb-4">The cloud feels weightless when you tap a screen, but somewhere a building is humming, pulling power, cooling servers, and shaping the...
July 10, 2026Read article
Cover image for Is Your Community Leaving Tourism Dollars on the Table?
Tourism
Is Your Community Leaving Tourism Dollars on the Table?
<p class="mb-4">The difference between a packed town square and a half-empty festival often comes down to decisions made months in advance. In many ru...
July 8, 2026Read article
Cover image for The Hiring Process Isn’t Broken. It’s Just Stuck in the Past
Hiring and Onboarding
The Hiring Process Isn’t Broken. It’s Just Stuck in the Past
<p class="mb-4">Picture this. A highly qualified candidate applies for a public sector role, waits weeks without hearing back, and accepts a private s...
July 6, 2026Read article
Cover image for Smarter Messaging, Stronger Communities: How AI Is Reinventing Public Sector Storytelling
Artificial IntelligenceMedia and Messaging
Smarter Messaging, Stronger Communities: How AI Is Reinventing Public Sector Storytelling
<p class="mb-4">Artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential for effectively managing social media platforms in local government setti...
July 5, 2026Read article
Cover image for Onboarding Isn’t Orientation: It’s Your First Leadership Test
Hiring and Onboarding
Onboarding Isn’t Orientation: It’s Your First Leadership Test
<p class="mb-4">What does day one feel like for a new hire in your organization? For too many people, it feels like waiting in line at the DMV with a ...
July 1, 2026Read article
Cover image for Integrating AI in Education: What the World Is Teaching Us
EducationArtificial Intelligence
Integrating AI in Education: What the World Is Teaching Us
<p class="mb-4">Around the world, schools are quietly making the most consequential decision of this decade: not whether to use AI, but <em>how</em>. ...
June 30, 2026Read article
Cover image for When a Caseworker Meets an Algorithm: The Future of Youth Services
Youth Services
When a Caseworker Meets an Algorithm: The Future of Youth Services
<p class="mb-4">A youth counselor in Brooklyn sits across from a teenager who has skipped school three times this week. In the past, the next steps mi...
June 27, 2026Read article
Cover image for The Invisible Engine of Travel: How Cities Use Data to Win More Visitors
Tourism
The Invisible Engine of Travel: How Cities Use Data to Win More Visitors
<p class="mb-4">A visitor lands in your city and within minutes decides whether they will stay longer, spend more, or tell others to come. That decisi...
June 26, 2026Read article
Cover image for The Leadership Playbook for AI: Build People Before Systems
Artificial IntelligenceLeadership PerspectivesSustainability
The Leadership Playbook for AI: Build People Before Systems
<p class="mb-4">A new tool shows up in your organization. Some people lean in, curious and energized. Others quietly avoid it, hoping it will pass lik...
June 25, 2026Read article
Cover image for Teaching for the Unknown: Preparing Students for Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet
Education
Teaching for the Unknown: Preparing Students for Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet
<p class="mb-4">A student sits in a classroom, staring at a blinking cursor, unsure how to start. Ten years from now, that same moment will not just b...
June 22, 2026Read article
Cover image for Public Power, Private Algorithms: Who Really Controls AI in Government?
Artificial Intelligence
Public Power, Private Algorithms: Who Really Controls AI in Government?
<p class="mb-4">Artificial intelligence offers transformative potential for public administration, particularly in streamlining processes and enhancin...
June 21, 2026Read article
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