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Headshot of Dr. Naomi Vargas
Director of AI Research

Dr. Naomi Vargas

Based in Brooklyn, NY · Joined Macro Tracker Lab September 2023

Naomi sets the research agenda for the Macro Tracker Lab benchmark and is the named lead author of the 2026 cycle. Her background is in evaluating vision-language models on real-world consumer tasks; before Macro Tracker Lab she led applied research at an industrial computer-vision lab.

She designed the gram-weighed reference-plate protocol that anchors the benchmark, including the move away from menu-photography training data that the leading apps now follow. She also owns the cross-site inter-rater reconciliation with AI Calorie Tracker and Food-Trackers.com.

Areas of expertise
  • Vision-language model evaluation
  • Benchmark protocol design
  • Real-world AI accuracy
Credentials
  • PhD Machine Learning
  • Prior: Applied research lead, industrial vision lab

Dr. Naomi Vargas's selected publications

  • Reference-plate methodology for AI food-tracking evaluation, Macro Tracker Lab methodology paper
  • Bias in menu-photography training data for portion estimation, Workshop on Vision-Language Models

Macro tracker reviews led by Dr. Naomi Vargas

Dr. Naomi Vargas is the named lead reviewer on the following app evaluations in the 2026 cycle. Every score on these reviews was measured under the protocol on the methodology page.

For factual corrections or methodology questions, email corrections@macro-trackers.com and reference the named author of the affected page.