News & Events
2025 Summer Hangout Series
Join the Data Driven Discovery Initiative this June for biweekly DDDI Summer Hangouts!
Summer Hangouts are open to students, particularly undergraduates, from all backgrounds and skill levels. Undergrads, grad students, and postdocs are all welcome!
The 2025 schedule is as follows:
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Tuesday June 10th (Sam Dillavou + Kieran Murphy): Introduction to Machine Learning
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Thursday June 12th (Tess Cherlin): From Data to Insight: Applying Survival Analysis in Clinical Research
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Tuesday June 17th (Coby Viner) Speeding up science: GNU Parallel for bioinformatics and beyond
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Thursday June 19th – No session
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Tuesday June 24th (Sourav Dey) Bayesian optimization, with applications in chemical reaction discovery and optimization
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Thursday June 26thWednesday June 25th (Supranta S. Boruah) – Diffusion Models in Action: From Toy Problems to Dark Matter Maps
All sessions are held 12pm-1pm EST in the RDDSx Collaborative Space (Van Pelt Library). A pizza lunch will be provided at all sessions. Please RSVP here.
AI x Science Fellowship Featured in Penn Today
A recent Penn Today article on the future of AI research at Penn highlights our AI x Science Postdoctoral Fellowship as a key example of how interdisciplinary collaboration can help drive innovation in the data sciences.
The fellowship, created through a collaboration between DDDI and IDEAS, brings together postdocs from across the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering to explore applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in their respective fields. By providing a space for postdocs to regularly connect and exchange ideas, the fellowship empowers researchers to envision new ways to use AI in their disciplines. It has also helped spark collaborations between postdocs in different departments that might not have emerged otherwise.
Our AI x Science Fellowship is part of a broader Penn effort to connect data-driven researchers across the University. Check out the article here to learn how these connections not only strengthen individual projects but also help foster a research community where ideas can move freely across disciplinary lines.
Welcome 2025 Data Science Postdoctoral Fellows!
Please join us in welcoming the Data Driven Discovery Initiative’s 2025 cohort of Data Science Postdoctoral Fellows! These scholars bring together deep disciplinary knowledge paired with cutting-edge expertise in data science, and will contribute to a growing interdisciplinary community at Penn.
Our new fellows will join a vibrant, cross-disciplinary community of researchers by participating in seminars, collaborative discussions, and shared programming that connects departments and schools. By engaging with faculty, students, and fellow postdocs across diverse fields, they will help build a dynamic community centered on the use of data science to tackle complex questions. They will also connect with fellows in the AI x Science and AI x Science x Medicine programs, strengthening ties across Penn’s broader data science and AI research community.
This year, we welcome Carolina Torreblanca (quantitative research on the political economy of crime and punishment), Coby Viner, (computational modeling of how evolutionary processes shape molecular systems) and Xiaozhi (Taro) Yang (computational modeling of judgement and decision making) to our 2025 cohort. Congratulations to these outstanding researchers! We look forward to the contributions they will make to the DDDI community and beyond.
Interested in becoming a fellow? Please learn more here.
AI for Science Seminar: “A Foundation Model for the Earth System”
Our Data Science & Analytics Minor has 100 participating students!
“It’s been incredible to watch the minor grow,” says Joelle Gross, Assistant Director for the Data Science & Analytics Minor. “I’m especially excited that students from across Arts & Sciences and the entire undergraduate population are engaging with data in meaningful ways. The excitement for the minor demonstrates that data literacy is essential no matter what field you’re in.”
Learn more about the Data Science & Analytics minor here.
Penn Launches University-Wide AI Initiative with Interdisciplinary Panel Event
The University of Pennsylvania officially launched its new Penn AI Initiative with a panel event at the recently opened Amy Gutmann Hall on April 1, 2025. The initiative brings together faculty and researchers from across Penn to explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on society.
The event featured remarks from Provost John L. Jackson Jr. and President J. Larry Jameson. Both emphasized Penn’s unique position to lead in AI research, education, and innovation through its strong interdisciplinary foundation.
A panel of distinguished faculty—including experts from the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, the Perelman School of Medicine, the Wharton School, and the School of Arts & Sciences—discussed the wide-ranging applications of AI, from healthcare and ethics to physics and communication. The conversation highlighted Penn’s commitment to advancing AI responsibly and collaboratively across disciplines.
The launch of the Penn AI Initiative marks a significant step forward in Penn’s efforts to foster groundbreaking research and thoughtful engagement with one of today’s most powerful technologies.
Learn more about the initiative here.
Call for Applications: 2025-2026 Data Science for Social Good Grants
The Data Driven Discovery Initiative is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Data Science for Social Good (DSSG) seed grants! These grants support innovative projects that use data science to address pressing societal challenges, with funding ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. SAS faculty-led teams are encouraged to apply. This year, DDDI is doubling its commitment to the DSSG program and encouraging applications from projects in need of bridge funding.
Deadline: May 1st, 2025 extended to Wednesday, May 14th!
Learn more and apply: DSSG Grants
Scientific AI
April 24, 2025, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Glandt Forum
Join researchers from across the School of Arts and Sciences as they explore how advancements in AI are transforming their work and unlocking new frontiers in their fields. This event aims to explore how AI is shaping research across SAS, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and a broader understanding of AI’s impact on scientific progress.
Speakers:
- Andrew Zahrt (Chemistry)
- Sudeep Bhatia (Psychology)
- Irina Marinov (Earth and Environmental Science)
- Jésus Fernandez-Villaverde (Economics)
- Maria Cuellar (Criminology)
- Carlos Santana (Philosophy)
Welcome New Postdoctoral Fellows from the Perelman School of Medicine!
The Data Driven Discovery Initiative (DDDI) is excited to announce the expansion of our postdoctoral fellows program to include five new fellows from the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM)! This expansion brings together postdoctoral researchers working at the intersection of data science, artificial intelligence, and medicine within the Penn community.
The new members will join a community of exceptional postdoctoral fellows dedicated to advancing research in data science and artificial intelligence. They also will benefit from interdisciplinary peer interactions, broad exposure to world-class faculty across Penn schools, and opportunities for professional development.
Our new fellows include Sydney Pugh (AI systems for dementia detection), Wei Li (computational modeling of cellular interactions), Hayoung Donnelly (LLMs and mental health interventions), Tess Cherlin (computational approaches to precision medicine), and Sheng Wang (machine learning and healthcare systems). Congratulations to our new fellows!
University Atlas embarks on expansion to map all of Penn
The University Atlas project, initially developed to map the research within the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn (read more in Penn Today), is embarking on a significant expansion to map the entire University of Pennsylvania. This next phase is made possible by new collaborations with the Mack Institute for Innovation Management at the Wharton School, and Penn Libraries Impact Assessment & Organizational Analysis team.
The University Atlas project aims to provide a dynamic, interactive map of university research, making it easy to navigate and engage with Penn’s academic landscape. The expansion will incorporate more schools and research centers across the university, offering a comprehensive view of Penn’s research ecosystem.
The Mack Institute for Innovation Management, led by Valery Yakubovich, is known for fostering industry and academic communities to transform innovation research into real-world impact. The Mack Institute’s contribution to this project is managed by Valentina Goutorova and driven by the work of data scientist Renuka Chintalapati.
Penn Libraries’ Impact Assessment & Organizational Analysis team, Led by Joe Zucca, is contributing Penn research articles from the past 20 years to the project. This effort is driven by the work of data scientists Karin Giljie and Angelica Rivera.
The University Atlas project is lead by Colin Twomey, Executive Director for the School of Arts & Sciences’ Data Driven Discovery Initiative.