Lev Reyzin and collaborators receive 10 million dollar NSF grant to establish Institute for Data, Econometrics, Algorithms and Learning (IDEAL).
Professor Lev Reyzin is the Principle Investigator on a 5 year, 10 million dollar NSF grant that will be used to establish the Institute for Data, Econometrics, Algorithms and Learning (IDEAL). This institute will partner UIC with the Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago and the University of Chicago, merging the two existing collaborative institutes, the Foundations of Data Science and the Institute for Data, Econometrics, Algorithms and Learning, to form a new research group that uses the IDEAL name. The institute will be funded through phase two of the NSF Harnessing the Data Revolution initiative and follows a competitive proposal process involving institutes funded during phase one. The merged research institute will be composed of 55 faculty members from the participating 5 institutions as well as an additional 9 Google researchers.
IDEAL will support work exploring the foundations of machine learning, high-dimensional data analysis and inference, and data science and society. Amongst the various multidisciplinary fields brought together by the institute, computer science, electrical engineering, probability and statistics represent the core disciplines collaborating in this endeavor.
According to Professor Reyzin, "A unique aspect of our institute is that we will bring in other areas not traditionally represented in data science, including mathematical logic, economics and law. One of the goals of this institute is to create a cohesive data science community within the Chicago area."
IDEAL also aims to broaden participation in data science, help develop future workforce members and connect with the local community through lectures at high schools, exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry and teacher workshops. UIC students will benefit from the project through access to research assistantships, postdoctoral fellowships, cross-institutional courses, workshops and seminars.
"They will get to interact with institute visitors. We will also develop new courses that they can take at UIC" explained professor Reyzin.
The institute's first director will be Avrim Blum from Toyota Technological Institute, followed by Aravindan Vijayaraghavan of Northwestern, and then Reyzin of UIC.
Other MSCS co-PIs include:
as well as senior personnel:
There are an additional two co-PIs at UIC in the Engineering College: