Hariri Institute Names Mona Jalal New Lead of Data Science Mentoring Circles Program
The Hariri Institute for Computing at Boston University has named Boston University alumni Mona Jalal as the new lead of its Data Science Mentoring Circles Program (DSMC), effective September 2026. Jalal was selected for her passion for mentoring and experience in bridging cutting-edge AI research and real-world engineering. As a Computer Vision Research Engineer III […]
BU & The Universe: Junior Faculty Fellow Dillon Brout and DESC Bring Cosmology and Data Science Together
By Maria Yaitanes The collaboration’s first meeting at BU demonstrates how convergent research can advance the search for answers about dark energy. In July, the 17th floor of the Duan Family Center for Computing and Data Sciences filled with 120 cosmologists, data scientists, and more. Soon, the quiet hum of introductions over coffee expanded into […]
BU Students Anand Sahu and Pridhi Balhara Win 2026 Merck In Silico Innovation Cup for AI Agents
By Maureen L. Stanton Boston University Chemistry doctoral students Anand Sahu and Pridhi Balhara were part of the research team awarded the 2026 Merck In Silico Innovation Cup for AI Agents, an international competition exploring the use of AI agents to address scientific research and development challenges. Sahu, a doctoral student in BU’s College of […]
Graduate Student Researchers Earn IGS Support for Sustainability-Focused Projects
Five Hariri Institute-affiliated graduate students have received 2026 Graduate Student Summer Fellowships from the BU Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS). The students are among 11 fellows selected across BU to advance interdisciplinary research addressing pressing sustainability challenges. The IGS Graduate Student Summer Fellows program supports independent research by graduate students from across Boston University. Fellows […]
JFF Dillon Brout Receives Breakthrough New Horizons in Physics Prize
Recognized for advances in cosmic microwave background and supernovae cosmology Dillon Brout, Assistant Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Boston University and a Hariri Institute Junior Faculty Fellow, has been named a recipient of the 2026 New Horizons in Physics Prize — one of the most coveted honors for early-career scientists and part of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation awards, widely known […]
From Research to Policy Impact: BU’s Allison Portnoy Models RSV Prevention From Newborns to the Elderly
With NIH support, Portnoy is building the first dynamic model to guide country-specific RSV prevention strategies across all ages By Maureen L. Stanton With flu season upon us, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases are already rising. A leading cause of hospitalization in infants and older adults, RSV sends tens of thousands of people to the […]
Boston University Faculty Brian DePasquale Named 2026 Sloan Research Fellow
Prestigious award recognizes the most promising early-career researchers in their fields By Maureen L. Stanton Theoretical neuroscientist Brian DePasquale has been named a 2026 Sloan Research Fellow, a prestigious honor recognizing “outstanding early-career faculty who have the potential to revolutionize their fields of study,” the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced today (Feb. 17). DePasquale is […]
Boston University’s Sarah Milligan Launches First Comprehensive R Package Bringing Variational Autoencoders to Tabular Data
By Hariri Institute Staff Sarah Milligan, a 2025 Hariri Institute Graduate Student Fellow and PhD candidate in Biostatistics at the BU School of Public Health, has developed a groundbreaking R package that brings Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) to tabular data, the first comprehensive tool of its kind available in the R programming language. VAEs are a […]
Boston University’s Sarah Milligan Launches First Comprehensive R Package Bringing Variational Autoencoders to Tabular Data
By Hariri Institute Staff Sarah Milligan, a 2025 Hariri Institute Graduate Student Fellow and PhD candidate in Biostatistics at the BU School of Public Health, has developed a groundbreaking R package that brings Variational Autoencoders (VAEs) to tabular data, the first comprehensive tool of its kind available in the R programming language. VAEs are a […]
Advances in Synthetic Data Generation for Public Health Research
By Maeve Smillie Graduate Student Fellow Spotlight: Sarah Milligan (SPH) The Hariri Institute welcomes Sarah Milligan as part of the 2025 Graduate Student Fellow cohort. Milligan is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biostatistics, where she is advised by Fatema Shafie Khorassani, assistant professor of biostatistics, and Janice Weinberg, professor of biostatistics. Building on […]