Mustafa Bilgic

Mustafa Bilgic is a Professor and Chair of the Computer Science Department at Illinois Institute of Technology, where he also directs the Master of Artificial Intelligence program and the Machine Learning Laboratory. His research focuses on machine learning, active learning, explainable AI, and probabilistic graphical models, with applications in healthcare, social media analysis, and biomedical engineering. He has received funding from NSF, NIH, and Samsung, among others.

Education:

• PhD in Computer Science, University of Maryland at College Park (2010)
• M.S. in Computer Science, University of Maryland at College Park (2006)
• B.S. in Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin (2004, with High Honors and Special Honors)

Research Highlights:

Dr. Bilgic's work emphasizes AI ethics, algorithm transparency, and interactive machine learning systems. Notable projects include analyzing political news engagement dynamics and developing frameworks for eliminating explanation noise in AI models. His lab explores tools like OrganoID for tracking organoid growth and IDGI for improving model interpretability.

Awards:

• NSF CAREER Award (2014)
• ACM SIGKDD Best Student Paper Award (2008)
• Illinois Tech College of Computing Teaching Excellence Award (2021)

Teaching and Leadership:

Bilgic teaches advanced courses in AI, machine learning, and data mining. He leads initiatives to bridge AI theory and practical applications, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration. His administrative roles include overseeing the AI master’s program and fostering innovation in computing education.