Initiatives
The University of Georgia launched an ambitious initiative to recruit 70 faculty members with expertise in applying data science and artificial intelligence to some of society’s most urgent challenges.
Rather than being housed exclusively in a single department, the majority of UGA’s newly recruited faculty will focus on the fusion of data science and AI in cross-cutting areas such as infectious diseases, integrative precision agriculture, computational social sciences, ethics, cybersecurity, virtual reality in teaching and learning, resilient communities, and the environment.
“At the University of Georgia, we are constantly seeking opportunities to expand our impact on society, to solve complex challenges, and to shape the future. This strategic hiring initiative will enable us to do that while building on our excellence in teaching, research, and service.” -President Jere W. Morehead
The cluster hiring initiative, completed in 2024, stems from the work of the Task Force on Academic Excellence. Composed of faculty and academic leaders across campus, the task force examined the university’s areas of strength and opportunity to guide strategic investments that maximize the institution’s impact.
The 70 new faculty hires were recruited in 10 interdisciplinary clusters that focus on broad themes:
- Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases
- Environmental Artificial Intelligence
- Ethics, Data, and AI
- Integrative Precision Agriculture Center of Excellence
- Machine Learning Applications in Cyber-Physical Systems Security
- Precision One Health Initiative
- Resilient Infrastructure for Sustainability and Equity (RISE)
- Secure AI Systems for Biomedical Applications
- Teaching and Learning
- Social Sciences
