Summer 2026

The DSSI Summer Experience will be held June 15 – August 7, 2026!

Eligible students must be enrolled at one of DSSI’s partner institutions. Please contact your faculty lead if you are interested in learning more and applying.

UChicago students: Apply here.

The Data Science for Social Impact (DSSI) Summer Experience is an 8-week paid research program for undergraduate students who are passionate about pursuing research and data science to make a positive social impact. The summer includes intensive coursework and applied research training, where students work in teams on data science research projects covering topics such as climate, health, policy, human rights, and financial inclusion. Students hone their data science skills in research methods and teamwork, while learning how to engage with real-world data science problems.

Contact Lilly Gullickson with questions.

DSSI is made possible with support from The 11th Hour Project, a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation.

Leadership and Staff

David Uminsky joined the University of Chicago in September 2020 as a senior research associate and Executive Director of Data Science. He was previously an associate professor of Mathematics and Executive Director of the Data Institute at University of San Francisco (USF). His research interests are in machine learning, signal processing, pattern formation, and dynamical systems. David is an associate editor of the Harvard Data Science Review. He was selected in 2015 by the National Academy of Sciences as a Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow. He is also the founding Director of the BS in Data Science at USF and served as Director of the MS in Data Science program from 2014-2019. During the summer of 2018, David served as the Director of Research for the Mathematical Science Research Institute Undergrad Program on the topic of Mathematical Data Science.

Before joining USF he was a combined NSF and UC President’s Fellow at UCLA, where he was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for outstanding postdoctoral research. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Boston University and a BS in Mathematics from Harvey Mudd College.

Staff

Toreana Meeky

Executive Assistant

meekyt@uchicago.edu

Mindi has experience managing, sourcing and scoping a portfolio of data science experiential learning partnerships across social impact organizations, corporate, civic and government entities. Mindi managed earlier iterations of our work with the 11th Hour Project at the University of San Francisco where she served as the Senior Director of Strategy and Operations of the Data Institute. Mindi is a member (inactive) of the California and Illinois bars and received her JD from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco and her BS, Political Science from Santa Clara University.

Susan Paykin is the Senior Associate Director, Community-Centered Data Science, at the DSI, where she oversees social impact and strategic partnership initiatives across the organization’s research, education, and engagement. She is also the Program Lead of the Open Spatial Lab where she leads geospatial data science projects and partner engagement. Susan was previously the Research Manager at the Center for Spatial Data Science at UChicago and has served in leadership roles for environmental and social impact organizations. She holds a Master in Public Policy (M.P.P) from the Harris School of Public Policy at University of Chicago and a B.A. from Brandeis University.

As Research Program Administrator, Lilly Gullickson manages summer research programs and supports research-oriented events, educational programming, and outreach. Before joining DSI in November 2025, Lilly worked as Assistant Director of Operations for the UChicago Student Centers where she managed operational needs across Ida Noyes Hall and Reynold’s Club, a team of 25 student workers, and daily events across the two facilities. In addition, Lilly has held administrative roles within the Booth School of Business, the Harris School of Public Policy, and the Office of the Provost. Lilly received her Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) from the University of Chicago and her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.