Ryan Adams and Ariel Amir named 2015 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows

Cambridge, Mass. – February 25, 2015 – Computer scientist Ryan Adams and applied mathematician Ariel Amir, assistant professors at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), have been named 2015 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows.

They are among 126 Fellows, including two others at Harvard, selected from the United States and Canada this year “in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field.”

The $50,000 award to each Fellow will support Adams’ research in the field of machine learning, and Amir’s research on condensed matter and biophysics.

“We are delighted that Ryan Adams and Ariel Amir are among the early-career bright lights recognized by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation this year,” said Harry R. Lewis, Interim Dean of Harvard SEAS and Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science.

Adams is an expert in the fields of machine learning and computational statistics, and his research interests span artificial intelligence, computational neuroscience, machine vision, and Bayesian nonparametrics. Amir applies the theory of complex systems to problems in a wide range of domains, from physics to materials science to biology.

"These researchers are outstanding examples of how knowledge can be pursued across disciplines and of the scientific breadth needed to discover solutions to the problems of the world,” Lewis said.

The other 2015 Sloan Research Fellows at Harvard are Kang-Kuen Ni, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and of Physics; and Tasho Kaletha, Benjamin Peirce Lecturer on Mathematics.

Previous Fellows at SEAS have included Stephen Chong (2014), Krzysztof Gajos (2013), Vinothan Manoharan (2011), Marko Loncar (2010), Todd Zickler (2008), and Maurice Smith (2007).

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit grant-making institution that supports original research and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economics.