Kyle Chard is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory. He has been Program Director of the Data & Computing Summer Lab since its first iteration under CDAC in 2019, and previously oversaw the Summer Internship Program ran by the former Computation Institute.

He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Victoria University of Wellington in 2011. He co-leads the Globus Labs research group which focuses on a broad range of research problems in data-intensive computing and research data management. He currently leads projects related to parallel programming in Python, scientific reproducibility, and elastic and cost-aware use of cloud infrastructure.

Maria V. Fernandez is Research Program Manager for the Data Science Institute. Working closely with DSI leadership and faculty, Maria is responsible for the development, coordination, and execution of research initiatives at the DSI, including the Data & Democracy and AI+Science initiatives. She also manages the DSI’s Postdoctoral Scholars Program as well as the DSI’s student research and engagement initiatives, Summer Lab and Data4All.

Before joining the DSI in January 2023, Maria was a Project Manager and Metadata Specialist at the University of Chicago Library. She has worked for several years in higher education and research libraries at the University of Chicago, Brown University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Dartmouth College. She received a MS in Information Studies and a MA in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in History from Dartmouth College.

Maria Lema is the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Data Science Studies at the Data Science Institute. Previously, Maria served as Academic Adviser in the College Academic Advising Office at the University of Chicago. Prior to relocating to Chicago, Maria served as the Academic Affairs Coordinator in the Department of Political Science at Columbia University. In addition to her work in higher education, Maria has experience working in college access. She holds a MA in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA in Mathematics and Philosophy from SUNY Buffalo State.

Molly Long is the Research Team Coordinator at the Data Science Institute. Before moving to Chicago, they worked as a wildfire biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Boise, Idaho. Molly has experience in data science, classical violin performance, biological research, and college admissions. They earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Music from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.