The University of Wisconsin–Madison Data Science Institute, powered by a generous gift from American Family Insurance, is central to the university’s strategic priority to grow its research enterprise and expand its global impact.
Advancing the Forefront of Data Science Research
Jeri Barak and Kim Cowles, Plant Pathology, wanted to automate the data collection process of their experiments: segmenting images of leaves into healthy, lesioned, and not-leaf areas. DSI worked with them to develop an image processing application that automated a time-consuming, manual process.
“Every time, walking back from DSI, Kim and I were energized and excited about doing science.” —Jeri Barak
On Campus
Events
- April
- April 23
- April 28Text Analysis WorkshopPractical introduction to text analysis, designed for those with Python experience9:00 AM
- April 29Text Analysis WorkshopPractical introduction to text analysis, designed for those with Python experience9:00 AM
Campus Highlights
DSI Director and Staff Honored With Breakthrough Physics Prize
Kyle Cranmer, Alex Held, Matthew Feickert, Nils Krumnack, Garrett Merz, and Jay Sandesara were recognized for contributions to the CERN Large Hadron Collider.
Solís-Lemus Recognized for Public Science Engagement
DSI Affiliate Claudia Solís-Lemus received the received the Bassam Z. Shakhashiri Public Science Engagement Award in recognition of her outreach and service.
Li Awarded Sloan Fellowship
DSI Affiliate Sharon Li is a 2025 Sloan Research Fellow. This award recognizes 126 of the most promising early-career scientists in the U.S. and Canada.
DSI Affiliate Ilias Diakonikolas Awarded WARF Romnes Fellowship
Diakonikolas studies the algorithmic foundations of massive data sets and works on designing efficient algorithms for fundamental problems in machine learning.
DSI-Plant Pathology Partnership Blooms With New Publication
DSI's Arjun Iyer and Iain McConnell worked with Kim Cowles and Jeri Barak, Plant Pathology, to create a Streamlit app for leaf area and lesion analysis.
- More highlights
Points of Pride
53
DSI Faculty and Staff Affiliates
at UW–Madison
$20 M
Research grants where DSI leads
or is a partner
+$6M
Industry-sponsored grants for 55 campus research projects
Data Science News
Inaugural Open Award Recipients Recognized at the Research Bazaar
On March 20th, campus leaders were recognized at the UW–Madison Open Awards for their significant contributions to open scholarship and open source. Additionally, the ceremony recognized thirteen inaugural inductees into the Open Hall of Fame.
Thank You, Research Bazaar Sponsors!
The Data Science Research Bazaar was a big success, and it would not have been possible without the support of our generous campus and industry sponsors.
UW Research Partnership Yields First-of-its-Kind Soil Data Algorithm
University of Wisconsin professor of soil science Jingyi Huang and data scientist Maria Oros developed a new modeling tool for soil scientists. The pair used machine learning and public data to build the Soil Organic Carbon Assistant, which models changes in soil organic carbon.
Data Science Institute Welcomes 2025 Affiliates Cohort
The Data Science Institute recently welcomed 13 new DSI Affiliates who are actively engaged in foundational or use-inspired research, aligned with the DSI mission and vision, that is relevant to data science.
Explore Potential and Limits of AI and ML at the Research Bazaar
Calling all data enthusiasts! Get ready to dive into the world of AI and machine learning at the 6th annual Data Science Research Bazaar, hosted by the Data Science Hub on March 19-20.
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RISE-AI Initiative
The Wisconsin RISE Initiative is designed to address challenges of importance to Wisconsin and the world, and artificial intelligence is a focus area. Over the next three to five years, RISE-AI will accelerate the growth of UW–Madison’s network of AI innovators.
DSI leadership in campus AI includes co-hosting MadPrompts – the first generative AI prompt battle in the US, and the Exploring Artificial Intelligence @ UW–Madison seminar series.