The Harvard Data Science Initiative is pleased to announce support for six new faculty research projects: Accelerating Improvement in Medical Education Delivery (AI-MED) Kevin Croke, Associate Professor of Global Health, proposes the first field deployment of a self‑administered, LLM‑driven clinical‑vignette platform to measure primary care provider competencies and evaluate education interventions in Vietnam. Addressing the…
Data Brokerage as a Digital Native: One Student’s Perspective
By Matthew Huang Matthew is a high school senior from Alpharetta, Georgia. Our world is undeniably digital. For a growing number of us, life online is the primary stage for learning, connecting, and playing. Yet, each tap, click, and search in this immersive environment contributes to an underground ecosystem, quietly collecting and cataloging our digital footprints. …
Harvard Data Science Initiative Announces AI‑Enhanced One‑Week Online Course “Generative AI: Wisdom and Warnings from Harvard Data Science Review”
The Harvard Data Science Initiative (HDSI) is offering Generative AI: Wisdom and Warnings from Harvard Data Science Review, a one-week online intensive course taught by members of the HDSR boards and grounded in materials from HDSR publications. The course uses the AI‑based learning platform developed, trained, and pedagogically supported by Next Gen Learning (NGL). The…
Insights from the 2nd Annual Vine to Mind Symposium
This June, the second Vine to Mind Symposium convened in Lausanne, Switzerland, co-hosted by the Harvard Data Science Initiative (HDSI) and EHL Hospitality Business School. Launched in 2024, this series uses the wine industry as a lens to examine how data and AI operate in environments shaped by cultural, environmental, and regulatory complexity. The 2025…
Newly Funded: Two Faculty Special Projects
The Harvard Data Science Initiative is pleased to announce support for two new faculty research projects that address pressing challenges in political science and policy evaluation. Measuring Partisan Gerrymandering in State Legislatures Kosuke Imai, Professor of Government and of Statistics, seeks to develop new computational methods to quantify the extent of partisan gerrymandering in state…
Meet the 2025 SPUDS Fellows
Each summer, the Harvard Data Science Initiative (HDSI) hosts the Summer Program for Undergraduates in Data Science (SPUDS), a ten-week immersive research program co-sponsored by Harvard College. As a part of the Harvard Summer Undergraduate Research Villages, SPUDS provides undergraduates with substantive research experience, mentorship from leading Harvard faculty, and the opportunity to join a…
Newly Funded: Two Postdoctoral Fellow Research Projects
We are excited to announce the 2025 recipients of the Harvard Data Science Initiative Postdoctoral Research Fund awards. From advancing human health to transforming biodiversity research, these projects reflect the HDSI’s mission to support data-driven research with broad scientific and societal impact. Jennifer Leestma – Restoring Human Mobility Through Intelligent Muscle Stimulation Jennifer Leestma, a…
Connecting Data Science to Agricultural Resilience
Recapping the 2025 Regenerative Agriculture Science and Policy Forum, co-hosted by HDSI and Indigo Ag “Agriculture and food systems are among the most urgent domains for advancing public-good outcomes through data science,” says Elizabeth Langdon-Gray, executive director of the Harvard Data Science Initiative (HDSI). This view shaped the June 2025 Regenerative Agriculture Science and Policy Forum,…
Newly Funded: Improving Trust in Scientific Research Among Patients
Gordon McKay professor of Computer Science Krzystof Gajos received HDSI funding to create a new platform that helps foster trust with individuals with movement disorders by allowing them to view and explore their own data, helping them feel more informed and engaged in the research process. Understanding how people move and behave can help scientists…
Newly Funded – The Proposal Pivot Engine
With funding from the HDSI, Professor S. Bryn Austin and team are developing the Proposal Pivot Engine (PPE), a data-driven tool to help researchers adapt their proposals for non-federal funding sources like philanthropic organizations and industry partners. The prototype will use natural language processing and machine learning to analyze proposals, map funding ecosystems, and generate…
Newly Funded – Climate Stress, Nutrition, and Chronic Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa
This project, led by Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition Walter C. Willett will use machine learning to analyze existing Africa/HSPH Partnership for Cohort Research and Training (PaCT) data for patterns between climate stress, diet, and disease risk; while testing smartphone-based real-time data collection in sub-Saharan Africa. The research aims to identify vulnerable populations affected by…
Protecting continued progress in data science
To our colleagues, friends, and supporters, Recently, we have witnessed unprecedented attacks on scientific discovery, scholarship, and students, especially international ones. We are in an extraordinary and perilous moment that demands a steadfast response. As Harvard University defends academic freedom, we recommit ourselves to advancing the science of data, and we invite you to support our…