Rebecca Willett is a Worah Family Professor in the Wallman Society of Fellows and the Departments of Statistics and Computer Science at the University of Chicago. She completed her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University in 2005 and was an Assistant then tenured Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University from 2005 to 2013. She was an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Harvey D. Spangler Faculty Scholar, and Fellow of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2013 to 2018.  Prof. Willett received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2007, was a member of the DARPA Computer Science Study Group 2007-2011, and received an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program award in 2010. Prof. Willett has also held visiting researcher positions at the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics at UCLA in 2004, the University of Wisconsin-Madison 2003-2005, the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA) in 2003, and the Applied Science Research and Development Laboratory at GE Medical Systems (now GE Healthcare) in 2002. Her research interests include network and imaging science with applications in medical imaging, wireless sensor networks, astronomy, and social networks. She is also an instructor for FEMMES (Females Excelling More in Math Engineering and Science; news article here) and a local exhibit leader for Sally Ride Festivals. She was a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Rice University Presidential Scholarship, the Society of Women Engineers Caterpillar Scholarship, and the Angier B. Duke Memorial Scholarship.

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Tiana Pyer-Pereira

Research Administrator, Willett Research Group

tianap@uchicago.edu

David Freedman is Chair of the Department of Neurobiology, the Stahl Professor of Neurobiology in the Wallman Society of Fellows, and Professor of the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Chicago. He has a broad background in cognitive, systems, and computational neuroscience, with expertise in electrophysiological approaches for recording neuronal population activity in awake non-human primates trained to perform complex behavioral tasks, which require learning, memory, and decision-making. His research program also has a major focus on artificial intelligence (AI) approaches for studying neuroscience-related questions in artificial neural networks, and on designing novel biologically-inspired AI approaches. His research, supported by NIH, NSF, DOD, and private foundations, investigates the neuronal computations of higher-order perceptual and cognitive functions. Following graduate and postdoctoral training at MIT and Harvard Medical School, he established his laboratory at the University of Chicago in 2008, from which he has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral scholars that have successfully established their own independent research careers. His work has been recognized by the Troland Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences, the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship from the Department of Defense, the NSF Career Award, and Faculty Fellowship Awards from the Sloan, McKnight, and Brain Research Foundations. In 2018, he received the University of Chicago Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring.

Marisa is the Assistant Director of The Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI in Science Fellowship Program, where she leads the program in several key functions, including faculty leadership support, developing partnerships across all Divisions and the National Laboratories, coordinating postdoctoral recruitment and hiring across academic departments, and managing program operations. With deep expertise in program management, she has successfully led initiatives that connect scholars and researchers across disciplines, foster innovation, and build strong, supportive communities. Prior to this role, Marisa managed programming for fellows and postdoctoral scholars at the National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) and launched their inaugural Summer Undergraduate Research Program.  She has also led all aspects of student experience, from recruitment through graduation, for the Medical Scientist Training Program, an interdisciplinary MD/PhD program at the University of Chicago. Marisa holds an M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri and a B.A. in Sociology from Spelman College.

Victoria is the Director of the AI+Science Research Initiative where she will manage grants, pursue funding opportunities, and cultivate strategic partnerships. Victoria has experience applying for and managing federal grants, including training grants from NIH, and liaising with internal and external stakeholders through the Leadership Alliance. Prior to her current role, Victoria directed pathway programs to support the academic and career success for persons traditionally underrepresented in higher education. Victoria received her PhD in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Chicago in 2018 and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Hispanic Studies from Brown University.

Casey serves as a scientific writer at the Data Science Institute to support the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Ai in Science Fellowship and Prof. Willett’s research portfolio. Before joining DSI, Casey served as a technical writer/editor for the USDA’s Economic Research Service, the Department’s principal social science research agency. She has diverse writing, researching, teaching, and editing experience across academic, private, and government sectors. She began her writing career as a writing tutor in 2011 at Creighton University and taught Rhetoric & Composition (rhet/comp), technical writing, and research writing at the University of Kansas. Casey earned her BA (2013) in rhet/comp at Creighton University and PhD (2020) in rhet/comp at the University of Kansas. She specializes in public rhetorics, writing pedagogies, composition studies, and research- and science-based editing. In her free time, she enjoys going on lake walks, baking, and goofing around with her spouse and their three cats.