Daphne Koller

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Daphne Koller

| image = Daphne Koller 2019.jpg

| caption = Koller in 2019

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|08|27}}

| birth_place = Jerusalem, Israel

| death_date =

| death_place =

| field = Machine learning
Computational biology
Computer vision
Artificial intelligence

| work_institution = Stanford University
University of California, Berkeley

| education = Hebrew University of Jerusalem (BSc, MSc)
Stanford University (PhD)

| doctoral_students = {{Plainlist|

Lise Getoor
Carlos Guestrin
Mehran Sahami
Suchi Saria{{cite thesis|title=The digital patient : machine learning techniques for analyzing electronic health record data|first=Suchi|last=Saria|url=https://purl.stanford.edu/tx793sf6804|oclc=748681635|website=stanford.edu|publisher=Stanford University|year=2011|degree=PhD}} {{free access}}
Eran Segal
Ben Taskar}}

| doctoral_advisor = Joseph Halpern

| thesis_title = From Knowledge to Belief

| thesis_year = 1994

| thesis_url = http://i.stanford.edu/pub/cstr/reports/cs/tr/94/1527/CS-TR-94-1527.pdf

| known_for = Machine learning
Graphical models
MOOCs
Coursera

| awards = ISCB Fellow (2017)
IJCAI Computers and Thought Award (2001)
MacArthur Fellow (2004)
PECASE (1999)
ACM Prize in Computing (2007)

| website = {{URL | ai.stanford.edu/~koller/ }}

}}

Daphne Koller ({{langx|he|דפנה קולר}}; born August 27, 1968) is an Israeli-American computer scientist. She was a professor in the department of computer science at Stanford University{{cite web|url=https://ai.stanford.edu/~koller/|title=Daphne Koller|website=ai.stanford.edu}} and a MacArthur Foundation fellowship recipient.{{Google scholar id}} She is one of the founders of Coursera, an online education platform. Her general research area is artificial intelligenceNew York Times Profile of Daphne Koller "[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/technology/03koller.html Pursuing the Next Level of Artificial Intelligence]"{{DBLP }} and its applications in the biomedical sciences.{{Cite journal

| last1 = Segal | first1 = E.

| last2 = Shapira | first2 = M.

| last3 = Regev | first3 = A.

| last4 = Pe'er | first4 = D.

| last5 = Botstein | first5 = D.

| last6 = Koller | first6 = D.

| last7 = Friedman | first7 = N.

| doi = 10.1038/ng1165

| title = Module networks: Identifying regulatory modules and their condition-specific regulators from gene expression data

| journal = Nature Genetics

| volume = 34

| issue = 2

| pages = 166–176

| year = 2003

| pmid = 12740579

| s2cid = 6146032

}} {{closed access}} Koller was featured in a 2004 article by MIT Technology Review titled "10 Emerging Technologies That Will Change Your World"[http://www.rle.mit.edu/thz/documents/10_emerging_tech.pdf "10 Emerging Technologies That Will Change Your World"], MIT Technology Review, February 2004 concerning the topic of Bayesian machine learning.2009. Graphical models (with Nir Friedman). MIT Press. {{ISBN|978-0262013192}}{{TED speaker}}

Early life

Koller was born on August 27, 1968, in Jerusalem, Israel.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2014/10/06/daphne-koller-and-andrew-ng.html |title=CNBC Next List: Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng |date=October 6, 2014 |publisher=CNBC}} She received a bachelor's degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1985, at the age of 17, and a master's degree from the same institution in 1986, at the age of 18.{{cite web |title=Profile details: Daphne Koller |publisher=Marquis Who's Who |access-date=August 7, 2012 |url=http://search.marquiswhoswho.com/profile/100031126114|website=marquiswhoswho.com}} {{subscription required}} She completed her PhD at Stanford in 1993 under the supervision of Joseph Halpern.{{MathGenealogy}}

Career and research

{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage=210px | video1 =[https://www.ted.com/talks/daphne_koller_what_we_re_learning_from_online_education?language=en "Daphne Koller: What we're learning from online education"], TED talk, June 2012 | video2 =[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv1vXiPDlK0 Daphne Koller, Co-Founder of Coursera – February 20, 2013], Darden School of Business }}

After her PhD, Koller did postdoctoral research at University of California, Berkeley from 1993 to 1995 under Stuart J. Russell,{{cite web|url=http://phdtree.org/scholar/koller-daphne/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131123154848/http://phdtree.org/scholar/koller-daphne/|url-status=dead|title=Daphne Koller, Stanford University|date=23 November 2013|archive-date=23 November 2013|website=phdtree.org}} and joined the faculty of the Stanford University computer science department in 1995. She was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2004. She was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2011 for contributions to representation, inference, and learning in probabilistic models with applications to robotics, vision, and biology. She was also elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014 and as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2023.{{Cite web |title=2023 NAS Election |url=http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/2023-nas-election.html |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.nasonline.org}}

In April 2008, Koller was awarded the first ever $150,000 ACM-Infosys Foundation Award in Computing Sciences.{{cite web|url=http://awards.acm.org/award_winners/koller_5086016.cfm|title=Daphne Koller|website=awards.acm.org}}

She and Andrew Ng, a fellow Stanford computer science professor in the AI lab, founded Coursera in 2012. She served as the co-CEO with Ng, and then as president of Coursera. She was recognized for her contributions to online education by being named one of Newsweek{{'}}s 10 Most Important People in 2010, Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2012, and Fast Company{{'}}s Most Creative People in 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-08-18-daphne-koller-bids-farewell-to-coursera-hello-to-calico|title=Daphne Koller Bids Farewell to Coursera, Hello to Calico - EdSurge News|date=18 August 2016|website=edsurge.com}}

She left Coursera in 2016 to become chief computing officer at Calico. In 2018, she left Calico to start and lead Insitro, a drug discovery startup.{{cite web|url=http://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/ai-researcher-daphne-koller-heading-new-machine-learning-drug-discovery-venture|title=AI Researcher Daphne Koller Heading New Machine Learning Drug Discovery Venture|date=2 May 2018|website=mobihealthnews.com}} The company operates an automated lab equipment running on algorithms that use its own in vitro disease models.{{Cite web |last=D'Onfro |first=Jillian |title=Coursera Cofounder Daphne Koller Melds AI And Biology In Drug Startup Insitro |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jilliandonfro/2019/09/17/insitro-drug-discovery-ai-daphne-koller-interview/ |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=Forbes |language=en}} The process allows the combination of machine learning and genomics to predict as well as test treatments for diseases.

Koller is primarily interested in representation, inference, learning, and decision making, with a focus on applications to computer vision and computational biology.{{Cite news|url=http://dataconomy.com/2014/09/10-machine-learning-experts-you-need-to-know/|title=10 Machine Learning Experts You Need to Know - Dataconomy|date=2014-09-16|website=Dataconomy.com|access-date=2018-02-03|language=en-US}} Along with Suchi Saria and Anna Penn of Stanford University, Koller developed PhysiScore, which uses various data elements to predict whether premature babies are likely to have health issues.{{Cite web|url=http://social.eyeforpharma.com/clinical/artificial-intelligence-brave-new-world-pharma|title=Artificial Intelligence – A Brave New World for Pharma {{!}} eyeforpharma|website=social.eyeforpharma.com|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-02-03}}

Koller’s work on artificial intelligence builds on an 18th-century theorem about probability based on the Bayes rule named after the mathematician Thomas Bayes.{{Cite news |last=Markoff |first=John |date=2008-05-03 |title=Pursuing the Next Level of Artificial Intelligence |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/technology/03koller.html |access-date=2023-06-02 |issn=0362-4331}} The approach underpins the process of transforming a current assumption about an event into a more accurate assumption based on more evidence. Koller is a leading figure in research that expanded the existing Bayesian-related software so that it is capable of discerning patterns in vast collections of data. In 2009, she published a textbook on probabilistic graphical models together with Nir Friedman.{{cite book|title=Probabilistic Graphical Models|author=Daphne Koller and Nir Friedman|publisher=MIT Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-262-01319-2}} She offered a free online course on the subject starting in February 2012.{{cite web|url=http://pgm-class.org/|title=Probabilistic Graphical Models 1: Representation - Coursera|website=Coursera.org}}

In 2020, Koller co-founded the startup Engageli, which developed an alternative to the Zoom app. Its online learning platform addressed problems such as low student engagement, featuring what the company called as “superior” learning experience that includes real-time evaluations to determine whether students are keeping up.{{Cite web |last=Susan |first=Adams |date=October 14, 2020 |title=Coursera Founder Launches Zoom Challenger for Higher Ed |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2020/10/14/coursera |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Forbes}}

Her former doctoral students include Lise Getoor, Mehran Sahami, Suchi Saria, Eran Segal, and Ben Taskar.

Koller was interviewed by BBC Radio 4 on The Life Scientific broadcast on 27 September 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cdsm|title=Can computers discover new medicines?|access-date=27 September 2022}}

=Honors and awards=

Her honors and awards include:

1994: Arthur Samuel Thesis Award{{Cite web|url=https://ai.stanford.edu/~koller/papers/cv.html|title=CURRICULUM VITAE FOR DAPHNE KOLLER|website=ai.stanford.edu|access-date=2019-03-17}}
1996: Sloan Foundation Faculty Fellowship
1998: Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award
1999: Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE)
2001: IJCAI Computers and Thought Award
2003: Cox Medal at Stanford
2004: MacArthur Fellow
2004: Oswald G. Villard Fellow for Undergraduate Teaching at Stanford University{{Cite news|url=https://news.stanford.edu/news/2004/november17/bass-1117.html|title=Hennessy announces eight new Bass University Fellows|website=news.stanford.edu|publisher=Stanford University|access-date=2018-11-17|language=en}}
2007: ACM Prize in Computing
2008: ACM/Infosys Award{{Cite web |title=ACM, Infosys Foundation Announce Winner of New Award Honoring Contemporary Contributions in Computer Science |url=https://www.acm.org/media-center/2008/april/acm-infosys-foundation-announce-winner-of-new-award-honoring-contemporary-contributions-in-computer-science |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=ACM |language=en}}
2010: Newsweek{{'}}s 10 Most Important People
2010: Huffington Post 100 Game Changers
2011: Elected to National Academy of Engineering
2013: Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People{{cite magazine|url=https://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/andrew-ng-and-daphne-koller/ |title=Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People|magazine=Time|last1=Emanuel|first1=Ezekiel|date=18 April 2013}}
2014: Elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2014: Fast Company{{'}}s Most Creative People in Business{{cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/person/daphne-koller|title=Fast Company{{'}}s Most Creative People in Business|website=fastcompany.com|access-date=2016-10-27|archive-date=2019-05-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530214118/https://www.fastcompany.com/person/daphne-koller|url-status=dead}}
2017: Elected ISCB Fellow by the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB){{cite web|title=February 13, 2017: The International Society for Computational Biology Names Seven Members as the ISCB Fellows Class of 2017|url=https://www.iscb.org/iscb-news-items/3067-2017-feb13-iscb-fellows-class-2017|website=iscb.org|access-date=13 February 2017}}
2019: ACM-AAAI Allen Newell Award for contributions with significant breadth across computing, or that bridge computer science and other disciplines {{cite web|title=The ACM AAAI Allen Newell, computer science and other disciplines|url=https://awards.acm.org/newell#:~:text=The%20ACM%2FAAAI%20Allen%20Newell,computer%20science%20and%20other%20disciplines|website=awards.acm.org|access-date=22 January 2020}}
2022: Technical Leadership Abie Award Winner{{Cite web |title=Daphne Koller, PhD |url=https://ghc.anitab.org/speaker/daphne-koller-phd/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Grace Hopper Celebration |language=en-US}}
2023: Elected to National Academy of Sciences{{Cite web |title=2023 NAS Election |url=http://www.nasonline.org/news-and-multimedia/news/2023-nas-election.html |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=www.nasonline.org}}
2024: Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in AI{{Cite web |title=The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024 |url=https://time.com/collection/time100-ai-2024/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=TIME |language=en}}

Books

Koller's book authorships include:

Koller contributed one chapter to the 2018 book Architects of Intelligence: The Truth About AI from the People Building it by the American futurist Martin Ford.{{cite news |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamfalcon/2018/11/30/this-is-the-future-of-ai-according-to-23-world-leading-ai-experts/#60939b2b62f2 |title = This Is The Future Of AI According To 23 World-Leading AI Experts|last=Falcon|first=William |date=November 30, 2018|website=Forbes |access-date=March 20, 2019 }}
Probabilistic Graphical Models: Principles and Techniques by Daphne Koller and Nir Friedman.{{cite book |author=Daphne Koller and Nir Friedman|title=Probabilistic Graphical Models|publisher=MIT Press |year=2009|isbn=978-0-262-01319-2}}