Rediet Abebe
{{short description|Ethiopian computer scientist (born 1991)}}
{{Infobox scientist
| native_name_lang = ረድኤት አበበ
| image = Rediet Abebe (3x4 cropped).png
| caption =
| alma_mater = {{hlist|Cornell University|University of Cambridge|Harvard University}}
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1991}}
| birth_place = Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| fields = {{hlist|artificial intelligence|algorithms|computer science|inequality}}
| awards = {{hlist|Andrew Carnegie Fellow (2022)|Harvard Society of Fellows (2019)|MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 (2019)}}
| work_institutions = {{hlist|University of California, Berkeley|Harvard University|Cornell University|University of Cambridge}}
| doctoral_advisor = Jon M. Kleinberg
| thesis_title = Designing Algorithms for Social Good
| thesis_year = 2019
| website = {{URL|https://www.cs.cornell.edu/~red/}}
{{URL|http://md4sg.com/}}
}}
Rediet Abebe (Amharic: ረድኤት አበበ; born 1991) is an Ethiopian computer scientist working in algorithms and artificial intelligence. She is an assistant professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, she was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows.{{Cite web|url=https://socfell.fas.harvard.edu/listed-term-0/|title=Current and Former Junior Fellows
|website=Harvard Society of Fellows|access-date=2019-10-09}}
Abebe's research develops mathematical and computational frameworks for examining questions related to inequality and distributive justice.{{Cite web|url=https://events.technologyreview.com/video/watch/rediet-abebe-pioneers-tr35-2019/|title=Meet the Innovators Under 35
|website=MIT Technology Review|access-date=2019-10-10}} She co-founded the multi-institutional interdisciplinary research initiatives Mechanism Design for Social Good (MD4SG) and Black in AI.{{Cite web|url=https://blackinai.org/|title=Black in AI|website=blackinai.org|access-date=2019-10-09|archive-date=2020-08-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819061805/https://blackinai.github.io/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=http://md4sg.com/|title=Mechanism Design for Social Good|website=md4sg.com|access-date=2019-10-09}}
Early life and education
Abebe was born in 1991 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and grew up in the same city.{{Cite web
|url=http://leversinheels.com/featured/how-ethiopias-rediet-abebe-is-using-algorithms-and-ai-to-address-socio-economic-inequality/#.XZ69ZXVKjDp
|title=How Ethiopia's Rediet Abebe is using algorithms and AI to address socio-economic inequality
|website=Levers in Heels
|date=25 April 2018
|access-date=2019-10-09
|archive-date=2020-02-22
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222130403/http://leversinheels.com/featured/how-ethiopias-rediet-abebe-is-using-algorithms-and-ai-to-address-socio-economic-inequality/#.XZ69ZXVKjDp
|url-status=dead
}}{{cite web|url=https://elective.collegeboard.org/rediet-abebe-computer-science-pioneer|title= Pioneers in Computer Science {{!}} Rediet Abebe |publisher=College Board|date=February 7, 2022|last=Ciampaglia | first=Dante A. |access-date=November 11, 2024}} 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 for high school.
Abebe attended Harvard University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics and later a Master of Science degree in applied mathematics. As an undergraduate, she co-authored research papers in mathematics, physics, and public health.{{Cite journal|title=Breast Cancer Screening, Incidence, and Mortality Across US Counties
|journal=JAMA Internal Medicine|year=2015
|doi=10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.3043
|last1=Harding
|first1=Charles
|last2=Pompei
|first2=Francesco
|last3=Burmistrov
|first3=Dmitriy
|last4=Welch
|first4=H. Gilbert
|last5=Abebe
|first5=Rediet
|last6=Wilson
|first6=Richard
|volume=175
|issue=9
|pages=1483–9
|pmid=26147578
|doi-access=free
}}{{Cite journal|title=Long-Distance Spin-Spin Coupling via Floating Gates
|year=2012
|doi=10.1103/PhysRevX.2.011006
|last1=Trifunovic
|first1=Luka
|last2=Dial
|first2=Oliver
|last3=Trif
|first3=Mircea
|last4=Wootton
|first4=James R.
|last5=Abebe
|first5=Rediet
|last6=Yacoby
|first6=Amir
|last7=Loss
|first7=Daniel
|journal=Physical Review X
|volume=2
|issue=1
|pages=011006
|arxiv=1110.1342
|bibcode=2012PhRvX...2a1006T
|s2cid=1275824
}} While at Harvard, Abebe contributed to The Harvard Crimson as a staff writer, where she focused on the Cambridge public school system (2009-2011).{{cite web|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/writer/1205065/Rediet_T._Abebe/|title=Rediet T. Abebe - Writer Page|publisher=The Harvard Crimson|access-date=2020-04-18}}
After college, she attended the University of Cambridge as the Governor William Shirley Scholar at Pembroke College.{{Cite web|url=https://hcs.uraf.harvard.edu/former-scholars |title=The Harvard-Cambridge Scholarships – Former Scholars|website=The Harvard-Cambridge Scholarships|access-date=2019-10-09}}{{Cite web|url=https://harvardmagazine.com/2013/07/cambridge-scholars|title=Cambridge Scholars|website=Harvard Magazine|date=17 June 2013|access-date=2019-10-10}} She completed Part III of the Mathematics Tripos and earned a Master of Advanced Studies in pure mathematics under the supervision of Imre Leader.
Abebe completed her doctoral degree in computer science at Cornell University, where she was advised by Jon Kleinberg.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/kleinber/|title=Jon Kleinberg – Home Page|website=Cornell University|access-date=2019-10-10}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://cornellsun.com/2019/11/17/last-week-rediet-abebe-presented-her-thesis-in-december-she-will-be-the-first-black-woman-to-receive-a-ph-d-in-computer-science-at-cornell/ |title=In December, Rediet Abebe Will Become the First Black Woman to Receive a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Cornell|website=The Cornell Sun|access-date=2019-10-09}}
Research and career
Abebe's research develops techniques in AI and algorithms, with a focus on inequality and distributive justice. Her work includes algorithmic frameworks for examining issues in underserved populations.{{Cite web |last=Omaar |first=Hodan |date=2020-10-22 |title=5 Q's for Rediet Abebe, Co-founder of Mechanism Design for Social Good |url=https://datainnovation.org/2020/10/5-qs-for-rediet-abebe-co-founder-of-mechanism-design-for-social-good/ |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Center for Data Innovation |language=en-US}}
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. {{Cite web |last=Crowell |first=Rachel |date=2021-04-01 |title=A Computer Scientist Who Tackles Inequality Through Algorithms |url=https://www.quantamagazine.org/rediet-abebe-tackles-inequality-with-computer-science-20210401/ |archive-url= |access-date=2023-11-01 |website=Quanta Magazine}}
Throughout 2019 Abebe served on the National Institutes of Health Working Group on AI along AI experts including Kate Crawford, Dina Katabi, Daphne Koller, and Eric Lander.{{Cite web|url=https://www.acd.od.nih.gov/working-groups/ai.html|title=ACD Working Group on Artificial Intelligence|website=NIH Advisory Committee to the Director|language=en|access-date=2019-10-09}} 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.
In 2019, Abebe was inducted into the Harvard Society of Fellows.{{Cite web|url=https://cyber.harvard.edu/people/rediet-abebe|title=Rediet Abebe|date=2019-08-16|website=Berkman Klein Center|language=en|access-date=2019-10-09}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://socfell.fas.harvard.edu/listed-field-0/|title=Current and Former Junior Fellows
|website=Harvard Society of Fellows|access-date=2019-10-09}}
Abebe joined the department of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley as an assistant professor, focused in the research areas of artificial intelligence; information, data, network, and communication sciences; and theory.{{Cite web |title=Rediet Abebe {{!}} EECS at UC Berkeley |url=https://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Faculty/Homepages/rabebe.html |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=www2.eecs.berkeley.edu}} She is the first Black female professor in the history of the department and the second in the history of the college of engineering.{{cite web |date=May 21, 2020 |title=Cornell's first black female CS Ph.D. blazed her own trail |url=https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/05/cornells-first-black-female-cs-phd-blazed-her-own-trail |access-date=2020-05-22 |publisher=Cornell Chronicle}}
Abebe is a member of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR);{{Cite web |title=Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab |url=https://bair.berkeley.edu/ |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=bair.berkeley.edu}} the Berkeley Institute for Data Science (BIDS);{{Cite web |title=Berkeley Institute for Data Science |url=https://bids.berkeley.edu/ |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=Berkeley Institute for Data Science |language=en}} the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society - The Banatao Institute (CITRIS);{{Cite web |title=CITRIS and the Banatao Institute - University of California |url=https://citris-uc.org/ |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=CITRIS and the Banatao Institute |language=en-US}} and the Center for the Theoretical Foundations of Learning, Inference, Information, Intelligence, Mathematics, and Microeconomics at Berkeley (CLIMB).{{Cite web |title=Center for Learning, Information, Inference, Intelligence, and Mathematics at Berkeley |url=http://climb.berkeley.edu/faculty |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=climb.berkeley.edu |archive-date=2022-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305202714/http://climb.berkeley.edu/faculty |url-status=dead }} Abebe also leads the Berkeley Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization research group (BEAAMO).{{Cite web |title=BEAAMO |url=https://www.beaamo.com/ |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=www.beaamo.com |language=en-US}}
= 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.{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://www.md4sg.com/aboutus.html |access-date=2023-10-20 |website=www.md4sg.com}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://eaamo.org/|title=ACM EAAMO|access-date=2021-12-31}}
Abebe was honored as a pioneer in the 2019 MIT Technology Review's Innovators Under 35 in part for her work co-founding MD4SG.{{Cite web|url=http://events.technologyreview.com/video/watch/rediet-abebe-pioneers-tr35-2019/|title=Meet the Innovators Under 35 – MIT Technology Review|website=MIT Technology Review Events|access-date=2019-10-09}}{{cite web|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/innovator/rediet-abebe/|title=35 Innovators Under 35 - Pioneers|publisher=MIT Technology Review|access-date=2020-04-18}} 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.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sigecom.org/award-phd.html|title=ACM SIGecom Dissertation Award|access-date=2020-09-07}}
= Black in AI =
Abebe co-founded Black in AI, a network of 1,500 researchers working on AI, with Timnit Gebru, in 2016.{{Cite web|last=Forbes|date=2019-02-22|title=Rediet Abebe, Co-Founder of Black in AI, talks about the need for more diversity in AI job roles, and why she founded her own organization|url=https://twitter.com/forbes/status/1099141957950099457?lang=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-10-09|website=@forbes|language=en}}{{Cite web|date=2019-08-16|title=Rediet Abebe|url=https://cyber.harvard.edu/people/rediet-abebe|access-date=2019-10-09|website=Berkman Klein Center|language=en}} The organization arranges annual workshops at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (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 50 list as a one to watch.{{Cite news|last=|first=|date=|title=The Bloomberg 50|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2018-bloomberg-50/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-11-29|newspaper=Bloomberg}}
Awards and honors
- 2018: Bloomberg 50, One to Watch.{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2018-bloomberg-50/|title=Bloomberg 50|website=Bloomberg News|access-date=2020-09-07}}
- 2018: Harvard-Cambridge Fellowship, Harvard.
- 2019: Harvard Society of Fellows, Junior Fellow.
- 2019: MIT Technology Review, 35 Under 35.{{cite web|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/innovator/rediet-abebe/|title=MIT Technology Review|access-date=2020-09-07}}
- 2020: ACM SIGKDD Dissertation Award.{{cite web|url=https://www.kdd.org/awards/sigkdd-dissertation-award|title=ACM SIGKDD Dissertation Award|access-date=2020-09-07}}
- 2020: ACM SIGecom Dissertation Award (honorable mention).{{cite web|url=http://www.sigecom.org/award-phd.html|title=ACM SIGecom Dissertation Award|access-date=2020-09-07}}
- 2020: Innovation for Equity, Rising Star Award.{{cite web|url=https://www.innovationequity.org/event/ae6300a7-36ab-467f-b7f1-402dd326292c/websitePage:aff855eb-b84b-4002-ae46-ce131185ad76|title=Innovation for Equity|access-date=2020-09-07|archive-date=2020-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030125540/https://www.innovationequity.org/event/ae6300a7-36ab-467f-b7f1-402dd326292c/websitePage:aff855eb-b84b-4002-ae46-ce131185ad76|url-status=dead}}
- 2020: 100 Most Influential Young Africans, African Youth Awards.{{Cite web |last=ayadmin |date=2020-11-03 |title=2020 100 Most Influential Young Africans List Announced |url=https://www.africayouthawards.org/2020-100-most-influential-young-africans/ |access-date=2022-03-05 |website=Africa Youth Awards |language=en-US}}
- 2022: Class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows.{{cite web|url=https://www.carnegie.org/awards/andrew-carnegie-fellows/2022/|title=2022 Andrew Carnegie Fellows|access-date=2022-04-26}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2022/04/26/here-are-the-28-andrew-carnegie-fellows-for-2022/?sh=2ebb53bbff15|title=Here Are The 28 Andrew Carnegie Fellows For 2022|website=Forbes |access-date=2022-04-26}}
References
External links
- {{google scholar id|id=mO15JvwAAAAJ}}
- [https://www.technologyreview.com/innovator/rediet-abebe/ 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'.
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abebe, Rediet}}
Category:Artificial intelligence researchers
Category:Artificial intelligence ethicists
Category:Theoretical computer scientists
Category:Ethiopian women computer scientists
Category:Ethiopian expatriates in the United States
Category:People from Addis Ababa
Category:Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences alumni
Category:Cornell University alumni
Category:Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge