Yi Fang

Yi Fang is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Santa Clara University's School of Engineering, holding a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Purdue University under advisor Professor Luo Si. Her academic leadership spans over 15 years with significant contributions to information retrieval and machine learning systems.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Purdue University

Research Focus: Professor Fang pioneers scalable, principled approaches in information retrieval, natural language processing, and machine learning, with recent emphasis on fairness in AI and privacy preservation. Her work bridges theoretical rigor with real-world applications in search engines, recommendation systems, and ethical AI deployment, particularly addressing bias in large language models and search systems.

Publication Evolution: Her research trajectory shows a clear shift from foundational work in probabilistic models (2010-2015) toward deep learning integration (2016-2020), culminating in her current focus on ethical AI (2021-2025). Recent publications demonstrate increasing concentration on fairness metrics, bias mitigation in ranking systems, and privacy-preserving techniques for LLMs, reflecting urgent societal needs in AI governance.

Awards & Recognition:

• Teacher of the Year, School of Engineering (2017)
• Researcher of the Year, School of Engineering (2017)
• Brutocao Family Foundation Award for Curriculum Innovation (2024)
• Outstanding Service Awards from ACM CIKM and IEEE ICME (2013)
• Purdue University Outstanding Dissertation Award nomination

Mentorship & Leadership: Professor Fang actively mentors PhD and MS students through SCU's Computer Science program, prioritizing candidates with AI coursework. She directs the university-wide Responsible AI initiative and holds influential roles including ACM ICTIR General Co-Chair (2019), Program Co-Chair (2021), and SIGIR Senior Program Committee member (2020-2025), shaping research directions in information retrieval globally.

Interdisciplinary Impact: As Director of Santa Clara's Responsible AI program, she leads cross-departmental collaborations ensuring AI advancements remain safe, equitable, transparent, and societally beneficial, with recent projects targeting bias in electricity tariff systems, misinformation detection for Chinese Americans, and fairness audits for news sources.