Rediet Abebe (

Amharic Amharic is an Ethio-Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amhara people, and also serves as a lingua franca for all other metropolitan populati ...

: ረድኤት አበበ; born 1991) is an Ethiopian

computer scientist A computer scientist is a scientist who specializes in the academic study of computer science. Computer scientists typically work on the theoretical side of computation. Although computer scientists can also focus their work and research on ...

working in

algorithms In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of mathematically rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for per ...

and

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

. She is an assistant professor of computer science at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. Previously, she was a

Junior Fellow The Society of Fellows is a group of scholars selected at the beginnings of their careers by Harvard University for their potential to advance academic wisdom, upon whom are bestowed distinctive opportunities to foster their individual and intellect ...

at the

Harvard Society of Fellows The Society of Fellows is a group of scholars selected at the beginnings of their careers by Harvard University for their potential to advance academic wisdom, upon whom are bestowed distinctive opportunities to foster their individual and intellect ...

. Abebe's research develops mathematical and computational frameworks for examining questions related to

inequality Inequality may refer to: * Inequality (mathematics), a relation between two quantities when they are different. * Economic inequality, difference in economic well-being between population groups ** Income inequality, an unequal distribution of i ...

and distributive justice. She co-founded the multi-institutional interdisciplinary research initiatives Mechanism Design for Social Good (MD4SG) and Black in AI.

Early life and education

Abebe was born in 1991 in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, and grew up in the same city. She was educated in the Ethiopian National Curriculum at Nazareth School before winning a competitive merit-based scholarship to attend the

International Community School of Addis Ababa The International Community School of Addis Ababa (ICS Addis; ) is an international school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia founded in 1964. The school has around 1,000 students enrolled from 67 nations. ICS Addis has been accredited by the Middle State ...

for high school. Abebe attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

where she earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

and later a

Master of Science degree A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

applied mathematics Applied mathematics is the application of mathematics, mathematical methods by different fields such as physics, engineering, medicine, biology, finance, business, computer science, and Industrial sector, industry. Thus, applied mathematics is a ...

. As an undergraduate, she co-authored research papers in mathematics, physics, and public health. While at Harvard, Abebe contributed to ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper at Harvard University, an Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The newspaper was founded in 1873, and is run entirely by Harvard College undergraduate students. His ...

'' as a staff writer, where she focused on the Cambridge public school system (2009-2011). After college, she attended the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

as the Governor William Shirley Scholar at Pembroke College. She completed

Part III Part Three, Part 3 or Part III may refer to: Music * ''Part 3'' (KC and the Sunshine Band album) * ''Part III'' (112 album) (2001 album), R&B album by 112 * " Part Three into Paper Walls", a song by Russell Morris Television * "Part 3" (''True ...

of the

Mathematics Tripos The Mathematical Tripos is the mathematics course that is taught in the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Origin In its classical nineteenth-century form, the tripos was a distinctive written examination of undergraduate s ...

and earned a Master of Advanced Studies in

pure mathematics Pure mathematics is the study of mathematical concepts independently of any application outside mathematics. These concepts may originate in real-world concerns, and the results obtained may later turn out to be useful for practical applications ...

under the supervision of

Imre Leader Imre Bennett Leader (born 30 October 1963) is a British mathematician, a professor in DPMMS at the University of Cambridge working in the field of combinatorics. He is also known as an Othello player. Life He is the son of the physicist Elliot L ...

. Abebe completed her doctoral degree in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, where she was advised by

Jon Kleinberg Jon Michael Kleinberg (born 1971) is an American computer scientist and the Tisch University Professor of Computer Science and Information Science at Cornell University known for his work in algorithms and networks. He is a recipient of the Nevan ...

. Her dissertation made notable contributions across multiple fields in computer science, receiving the 2020 ACM SIGKDD Dissertation Award and an honorable mention for the ACM SIGecom Dissertation Award. She is the first Black woman to complete a Ph.D. in computer science in the university's history.

Research and career

Abebe's research develops techniques in AI and

, with a focus on inequality and distributive justice. Her work includes algorithmic frameworks for examining issues in underserved populations. Abebe's interest in merging inequality studies and computer science stemmed both from her educational background in Ethiopia as well as her study of the Cambridge public schools through attendance of school board meetings. Through these experiences she emphasizes the potential social harms of inequitable algorithmic design in her work. Throughout 2019 Abebe served on the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

Working Group on AI along AI experts including

Kate Crawford Kate Crawford (born 1974) is a researcher, writer, composer, producer and academic, who studies the social and political implications of artificial intelligence. She is based in New York and works as a principal researcher at Microsoft Research ( ...

Dina Katabi Dina Katabi () is the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT and the director of the MIT Wireless Center. She was designated as one of the world’s most influential women engineers by ''Forbes'' m ...

Daphne Koller Daphne Koller (; born August 27, 1968) is an Israeli-American computer scientist. She was a professor in the department of computer science at Stanford University and a MacArthur Foundation fellowship recipient. She is one of the founders of Cour ...

, and

Eric Lander Eric Steven Lander (born February 3, 1957) is an American mathematician and geneticist who is a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and a professor of systems biology at Harvard Medical School. Eric Lander is ...

. The working group was tasked with developing a comprehensive report and recommendations, which were unanimously approved by the advisory committee to the director and NIH General Director

Francis Collins Francis Sellers Collins (born April 14, 1950) is an American physician-scientist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He served as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ...

. In 2019, Abebe was inducted into the

. She is the second Junior Fellow with a CS Ph.D., the first female computer scientist, and the first Black computer scientist in the Society's history. Abebe joined the department of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the

as an assistant professor, focused in the research areas of artificial intelligence; information, data, network, and communication sciences; and theory. She is the first Black female professor in the history of the department and the second in the history of the college of engineering. Abebe is a member of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR); the Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS); the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society - The Banatao Institute (CITRIS); and the Center for the Theoretical Foundations of Learning, Inference, Information, Intelligence, Mathematics, and Microeconomics at Berkeley (CLIMB). Abebe also leads the Berkeley Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization research group (BEAAMO).

Mechanism Design for Social Good

Abebe co-founded Mechanism Design for Social Good (MD4SG), a multi-disciplinary research collective that uses algorithms and mechanism design to tackle inequality, with Kira Goldner in 2016, alongside a multi-institutional reading group of 12 members. Abebe has since been co-organizing the initiative with Irene Lo and Ana-Andrea Stoica. MD4SG hosts an annual workshop series highlighting work and connecting the community of researchers committed to using algorithms to improve societal welfare. In 2021, she co-launched the ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization (EAAMO) and served as an inaugural Program Co-Chair. Abebe was honored as a pioneer in the 2019 MIT Technology Review's

Innovators Under 35 The Innovators Under 35 is a peer-reviewed annual award and listicle published by '' MIT Technology Review'' magazine, naming the world's top 35 innovators under the age of 35. at '' Technology Review'' with lists of winners at technologyreview.co ...

in part for her work co-founding MD4SG. Her dissertation received the 2020 ACM SIGKDD Dissertation Award and an honorable mention for the ACM SIGecom Dissertation Award for offering foundations of this emerging research area.

Black in AI

Abebe co-founded ''Black in AI'', a network of 1,500 researchers working on AI, with

Timnit Gebru Timnit Gebru (Amharic and ; 1982/1983) is an Eritrean Ethiopian-born computer scientist who works in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), algorithmic bias and data mining. She is a co-founder of Black in AI, an advocacy group that has pu ...

, in 2016. The organization arranges annual workshops at the

Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems The Conference and Workshop on Neural Information Processing Systems (abbreviated as NeurIPS and formerly NIPS) is a machine learning and computational neuroscience conference held every December. Along with ICLR and ICML, it is one of the thre ...

(NeurIPS) and offers networking and collaborative opportunities. Through Black in AI, Abebe has spearheaded the Academic Program, for which she was honored in the 2019

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician a ...

50 list as a one to watch.

Awards and honors

*2018: Bloomberg 50, One to Watch. *2018: Harvard-Cambridge Fellowship, Harvard. *2019: Harvard Society of Fellows, Junior Fellow. *2019: MIT Technology Review, 35 Under 35. *2020: ACM SIGKDD Dissertation Award. *2020: ACM SIGecom Dissertation Award (honorable mention). *2020: Innovation for Equity, Rising Star Award. *2020: 100 Most Influential Young Africans, African Youth Awards. *2022: Class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows.

References

External links

*
She uses algorithms and AI to fight socioeconomic inequality
in MIT Technology Review 'Pioneers, In breaking with the old ways, they create better AI, antibiotics, and even architecture'. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abebe, Rediet 1991 births Living people Artificial intelligence researchers Artificial intelligence ethicists Theoretical computer scientists Ethiopian women computer scientists Ethiopian expatriates in the United States People from Addis Ababa Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni Cornell University alumni Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Ethiopian expatriates in the United Kingdom 21st-century Ethiopian people