Allison Koenecke

Allison Koenecke is an Assistant Professor of Information Science at Cornell Tech and a field faculty member in Computer Science at Cornell University. Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft Research New England and completed her PhD at Stanford University’s Institute for Computational & Mathematical Engineering. Her research focuses on algorithmic fairness, computational social science, and causal inference in public health, addressing disparities in automated systems like speech recognition and policy decision-making.

Education:

• PhD, Stanford Institute for Computational & Mathematical Engineering
• MA/MS, Stanford University
• BA/BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Research Interests: Dr. Koenecke’s work bridges economics and computer science, emphasizing equity in AI systems. Key areas include:

• Algorithmic bias in speech recognition (e.g., racial disparities in voice assistants)
• Fairness in policy tools like environmental justice data systems
• Causal analysis in public health interventions
• Ethical implications of large language models in education

Media & Impact: Her research has been featured in outlets like New York Times, Science, and Scientific American. Notable studies include exposing racial gaps in speech-to-text systems and advocating for inclusive dataset development. She also explores societal impacts of AI in education and governance.

Awards:

• Sloan Research Fellow in Computer Science
• Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science
• NSF Awards
• Cornell CIS Teaching Excellence Award (2024)

Teaching & Outreach: She teaches courses like Designing Fair Algorithms and Data Science for Global Development, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration. Her PhD Professionalization course addresses hidden curricula in academia. She advises on AI ethics for nonprofits, tech companies, and government agencies.