Vasant Dhar

Vasant Dhar is the Robert A Miller Professor of Business and Professor of Data Science at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University. He serves as Director of Industry Relations and specializes in Technology, Operations, and Statistics. Joining Stern in 1983, Professor Dhar has established himself as a leading expert in artificial intelligence, data science, and financial technology.

Professor Dhar's educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Pittsburgh (1984)
• M.Phil. from the University of Pittsburgh (1982)
• B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (1978)

His research focuses on how risk influences our trust in AI systems, demonstrating the existence of an "automation frontier" that expresses a tradeoff between how often machines will be wrong and the consequences of their errors. Professor Dhar examines how innovations such as Artificial Intelligence impact our lives, and how we can create technology and policy for a better future in a world of increasingly intelligent machines. His work spans financial applications of AI, where he was among the first to bring machine learning to Wall Street in the 1990s, founding the machine-learning-based hedge fund SCT Capital Management.

Professor Dhar's recent publications reveal a strong focus on the practical applications and societal implications of AI. His work addresses critical issues including AI reliability in financial document analysis, the governance of AI companies, ethical considerations in biometric payments, and the evolving relationship between humans and increasingly intelligent machines. His research demonstrates how AI is transforming various sectors while raising important questions about trust, accountability, and the future of work.

Among his notable recognitions is the Robert A Miller Professorship, an endowed chair position at NYU Stern. His research has been funded by grants from industry and government agencies such as the National Science Foundation.

Professor Dhar teaches courses on Systematic Investing, Data Science, Prediction, and Tech Innovation. He has written over 100 research articles and is the host of the "Brave New World" podcast, which explores how technology and virtualization in the post-COVID era is transforming humanity. He publishes fortnightly at vasantdhar.substack.com and is a frequent speaker in academic and industrial forums.