Carla Gomes named Schmidt AI2050 Senior Fellow

Schmidt Sciences has named Carla P. Gomes, the Ronald and Antonia Nielsen Professor in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, an AI2050 Senior Fellowfor her work on innovative artificial intelligence approaches to advance scientific discovery, focusing on significant sustainability challenges facing humanity.

Gomes directs the Institute for Computational Sustainabilityand co-directs the AI for Science Institute. She will receive $1 million over two years from Schmidt Sciencesfor her project, "Advancing AI to Accelerate Scientific Discovery and Improve Decision-Making for a Sustainable Future." The work will address sustainability challenges such as the United Nations' 30x30 biodiversity conservation goal, which aims to protect 30% of the planet's land, fresh water and oceans by 2030; efforts to expand worldwide hydropower to meet energy demands while minimizing impacts to humans and the environment; and research to characterize biochemical diversity at the molecular level.

"The AI2050 initiative offers an exciting opportunity for me to pursue an ambitious AI vision through highly interdisciplinary and somewhat riskier projects," Gomes said. "It will enable me to push the boundaries of my research and explore innovative approaches that may not align with traditional frameworks. I'm also excited to collaborate and exchange ideas with an exceptional group of AI2050 fellows whose perspectives will undoubtedly enrich and broaden my research."

Schmidt Sciences, a philanthropic organization aiming to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs, established the AI2050 initiative to support individuals who are solving critical problems that will enable society to benefit from AI. It has committed $125 million over five years to these efforts.

Gomes, a leader in AI who established the field of computational sustainability, has made important contributions in constraint reasoning - an effective technique for representing real-world decision problems, optimization and the integration of reasoning and learning. Gomes and her collaborators have developed models forstrategic planning of hydropower dams across the entire Amazon Basinand created Eelisa, an AI model for tracking damage caused by eelgrass wasting disease. Gomes also led a team that pioneered deep reasoning networks, an AI framework combining constraint reasoning with deep learning, with applications in scientific discovery including automating crystal-structure phase mapping, a core longstanding challenge in materials discovery.

Patricia Waldron is a writer for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.