Michael Kearns

Michael Kearns is a Professor and National Center Chair at the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Computer and Information Science. He holds secondary appointments in Economics, Statistics and Data Science, and Operations, Information and Decisions at Penn's Wharton School. As Founding Director of the Warren Center for Network and Data Sciences and founder/former director of Penn's Networked and Social Systems Engineering (NETS) program, he integrates research across machine learning, algorithmic game theory, computational finance, and social networks.

Education

• University of California, Berkeley (B.A. in Math and Computer Science, 1985)
• Harvard University (Ph.D. in Computer Science, 1989)

Research Interests

• Machine learning and algorithmic fairness
• Computational finance and algorithmic trading
• Network science and social systems
• Privacy-preserving algorithms
• AI ethics and responsible innovation

Scientific Awards

• Member of the National Academy of Sciences
• ACM Fellow
• AAAI Fellow
• Chair of NAS Section 34

Teaching & Professional Roles

• Co-teaching "The Ethical Algorithm Design" course
• Director of Warren Center for Network and Data Sciences
• Former director of Penn's NETS program
• Amazon Scholar (2020-present) focusing on AI fairness and privacy
• Former leadership roles at Morgan Stanley's AI Center of Excellence and MANA Partners