Rediet Abebe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rediet Abebe
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| Born | 1991 (age 33–34) |
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| Thesis | Designing Algorithms for Social Good (2019) |
| Doctoral advisor | Jon M. Kleinberg |
Rediet Abebe is a brilliant computer scientist from Ethiopia. She works with algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI). These are like special computer instructions and smart computer programs. She is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
Rediet Abebe's research helps make sure that computer programs are fair. She looks at how AI can affect people and tries to make things more equal. She also helped start two important groups: Mechanism Design for Social Good (MD4SG) and Black in AI. These groups use computer science to help society.
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Early Life and Education
Rediet Abebe was born in 1991 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She grew up in the same city. She went to Nazareth School in Ethiopia. Later, she won a special scholarship. This allowed her to attend the International Community School of Addis Ababa for high school.
Learning at Harvard
Rediet Abebe went to Harvard University. There, she earned a degree in mathematics. She also got a Master of Science degree in applied mathematics. While at Harvard, she wrote research papers. These papers were about math, physics, and public health. She also wrote for The Harvard Crimson newspaper. She focused on local schools from 2009 to 2011.
Studying at Cambridge
After Harvard, she studied at the University of Cambridge in England. She was a special scholar at Pembroke College. She earned another Master's degree there. This degree was in pure mathematics.
Earning Her PhD
Rediet Abebe completed her PhD in computer science at Cornell University. Her main advisor was Jon Kleinberg. Her PhD work was very important. It won two major awards in computer science. She was the first Black woman to get a PhD in computer science from Cornell University.
Research and Career
Rediet Abebe's research focuses on AI and algorithms. She especially looks at how these technologies can help with fairness. Her work creates new ways to use algorithms. These methods help solve problems for people who are often overlooked.
Her interest in this field grew from her experiences. She saw how important it was to design fair computer systems. She learned this from her education in Ethiopia. She also learned it by studying public schools in Cambridge. She believes that unfair algorithms can cause harm.
In 2019, Rediet Abebe joined a special group. This group advised the National Institutes of Health on AI. She worked with other top AI experts. They created a report with recommendations. These ideas were approved by the director of NIH.
Later in 2019, she became a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. She was the first female computer scientist to join this group. She was also the first Black computer scientist in its history.
Rediet Abebe is now a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. She teaches in the electrical engineering and computer sciences department. She focuses on AI and data science. She is the first Black female professor in her department's history. She is also the second in the college of engineering.
She is part of several research groups at Berkeley. These include the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab (BAIR). She also leads her own research group. It is called the Berkeley Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization (BEAAMO) group.
Mechanism Design for Social Good
Rediet Abebe co-founded Mechanism Design for Social Good (MD4SG) in 2016. She started it with Kira Goldner. This group brings together different experts. They use algorithms to fight inequality. MD4SG holds workshops every year. These events connect researchers who want to use algorithms for good. In 2021, she helped launch a new conference. It is called the ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization (EAAMO).
Her work with MD4SG earned her recognition. In 2019, MIT Technology Review named her an "Innovator Under 35." Her PhD work also won awards. It helped create the foundation for this new area of research.
Black in AI
Rediet Abebe also co-founded Black in AI in 2016. She started it with Timnit Gebru. This group is a network of over 1,500 AI researchers. It helps Black researchers in the field of AI. The organization holds workshops every year. These workshops happen at the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS). Black in AI also helps people network and work together. Through this group, Rediet Abebe started the Academic Program. For this work, she was named one of the "Bloomberg 50" in 2019.
Awards and Honors
- 2018: Bloomberg 50, One to Watch.
- 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.
