Data-Intensive Distributed Systems LaboratoryCS Seminar
Date: Tuesday, February 17th, 2026
Time: 9:00am
Room: Kaplan Institute (Steelcase Commons 211)
Dr. Nitesh Chawla
Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
Founding Director, Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society
University of Notre Dame
AI for Science and Society
Abstract: AI is reshaping nearly every sector of the economy and society, with an unprecedented pace of innovation and rapidly accelerating deployment. In this talk, I discuss the two-way relationship among AI, science, and society: how scientific practice and discovery are changing with AI, and how societal needs and constraints should shape AI research and adoption. I will highlight opportunities for deliberative innovation -- where progress depends on fundamental advances as well as discipline-specific work -- and outline what is needed to translate AI capabilities into durable societal impact.
Bio: Nitesh Chawla is the Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and the Founding Director of the Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society at the University of Notre Dame. His research is focused on artificial intelligence, data science, and network science, and is motivated by the question of how technology can advance the common good through convergence. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). He is the recipient of multiple awards, including the National Academy of Engineers New Faculty Fellowship, IEEE CIS Outstanding Early Career Award, Rodney F. Ganey Community Impact Award, IBM Big Data and Analytics Faculty Award, IBM Watson Faculty Award, and the 1st Source Bank Technology Commercialization Award. He is co-founder of Aunalytics, a data science software and cloud computing company.