Atoosa Kasirzadeh

Atoosa Kasirzadeh serves as Assistant Professor in Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Philosophy within the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, holding a courtesy appointment as Adjunct Professor in the Software and Societal Systems Department (School of Computer Science). Her research critically examines the intersection of AI development and ethical governance, focusing on responsible AI systems that benefit society through rigorous technical-philosophical integration.

Her educational background includes dual doctoral degrees: a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Science and Technology from the University of Toronto and a Ph.D. in Mathematics (Operations Research) from École Polytechnique de Montréal, complemented by B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Systems Engineering.

Dr. Kasirzadeh's work bridges computational AI development with ethical frameworks through two primary research streams: Risk Governance (applying aviation safety models to identify/measure AI risks from incremental to catastrophic) and AI Value Alignment (operationalizing human values in AI design). She translates philosophical concepts into actionable technical guidelines, addressing transparency demands between users and algorithms while examining relationships among immediate, long-term, and systemic risks in advanced AI systems.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• 2024 Schmidt Sciences AI2050 Early Career Fellow
• Fellow at the Centre for the Governance of AI
• Chancellor’s Fellow at University of Edinburgh
• DCMS/UKRI Senior Policy Fellow
• Governance of AI Fellow at Oxford

As Steering Committee Member for ACM FAccT conference and World Economic Forum Global Future Council member (2025-2027), she advises public/private institutions on AI governance. Her collaborative work spans CMU's Philosophy, Software and Societal Systems, and Language Technologies Institute departments, advancing Herbert Simon's legacy of interdisciplinary integration where ethics becomes foundational to AI innovation rather than an afterthought.