Vasant Honavar
Software EngineerArtificial Intelligence Researcher, Educator, and Leader | Director, Center for Artificial Intelligence Foundations and Scientific Applications | Huck Chair in Biomedical AI and Data Sciences @ Penn State
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Artificial Intelligence Researcher, Educator, and Leader | Director, Center for Artificial Intelligence Foundations and Scientific Applications | Huck Chair in Biomedical AI and Data Sciences @ Penn State
In my current role as Vice Provost for Artificial Intelligence, I lead Penn State’s university-wide AI strategy, partnering with faculty, students, staff, industry, and government to ensure responsible, human-centered and ethical deployment of AI to advance Penn State’s land-grant mission through institutional transformation to empower faculty, students, and staff, accelerate scientific discovery, transform education to enable graduates to thrive in a world being transformed by AI, and address societal challenges. I hold the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence at Penn State University where I serve on the faculty of undergraduate programs in Artificial Intelligence and Data Sciences, and graduate programs in Informatics, Computer Science, Bioinformatics and Genomics, Social Data Analytics. And Public Health Sciences. I have extensive experience in research, curriculum and program development, and leadership in Artificial Intelligence, Data Sciences, and related areas. My research has resulted in scalable methods for learning predictive models from (distributed, heterogeneous, multi-modal, longitudinal, and very high-dimensional) data; representation learning from complex data; eliciting causal effects from observational and experimental data; selective sharing of knowledge across disparate knowledge bases; and applications in bioinformatics and health informatics (predictive and causal modeling of health risks and health outcomes from clinical, socio-demographic, and behavioral data). I have published over 300 research articles that have been cited more than 19000 times (h-index = 67). I have mentored 42 PhD students, 10 postdoctoral researchers and scores of masters and undergraduate researchers and junior faculty who have gone on to establish successful careers. I have co-founded and led innovati
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Master’s Degree, Computer Science
January 1, 1989 – Present
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Ph.D., Computer Science
January 1, 1985 – January 1, 1990
Drexel University
MS, Electrical and Computer Engineering
January 1, 1983 – January 1, 1984
B. M. S. College of Engineering
B.E., Electronics Engineering
January 1, 1977 – January 1, 1982
Bangalore University
BE, Electronics Engineering
January 1, 1977 – January 1, 1982
Penn State University
Vice Provost for Artificial Intelligence
June 1, 2026 – Present
Penn State University
Professor of Informatics and Intelligent Systems
April 1, 2025 – Present
Penn State University
Associate Director for AI and Strategic Initiatives, NSF NCEMS
May 1, 2024 – Present
Penn State University
Professor of Public Health Sciences
October 1, 2021 – Present
Penn State University
Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence
October 1, 2021 – Present
Penn State University
Director, Center for Artificial Intelligence Foundations and Scientific Applications
April 1, 2021 – Present
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI)
Program Chair, Thirty-Sixth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence
April 1, 2021 – February 1, 2022
United States
Eastern Regional Network
Steering Committee Member
August 1, 2017 – Present
United States
Indian Institute of Science
Sudha Murty Distinguished Visiting Chair Professor in Neurocomputing and Data Science
October 1, 2016 – September 1, 2022
Bangalore, India
Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub
Executive Committee Member
October 1, 2015 – December 1, 2019
United States
Penn State University
Professor of Computer Science (Graduate Program)
October 1, 2015 – Present
Penn State University
Director, Center for Big Data Analytics and Discovery Informatics
November 1, 2014 – Present
Penn State University
Associate Director, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences
September 1, 2014 – Present
Penn State University
Professor of Neuroscience (Graduate Program)
September 1, 2014 – Present
Penn State University
Faculty Member, Operations Research (Graduate Program)
August 1, 2014 – Present
Computing Research Association
Computing Community Consortium Council Member
July 1, 2014 – June 1, 2017
Washington DC-Baltimore Area
Penn State University
Professor of Data Sciences
September 1, 2013 – Present
Penn State University
Professor and Edward Frymoyer Chair of Information Science and Technology
September 1, 2013 – October 1, 2021
Penn State University
Director, Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory
September 1, 2013 – Present
Penn State University
Faculty Member, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences
September 1, 2013 – Present
Penn State University
Professor of Informatics (Graduate Program)
September 1, 2013 – Present
Penn State University
Professor of Bioinformatics and Genomics (Graduate Program)
September 1, 2013 – Present
Penn State University
Faculty Member, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
September 1, 2013 – Present
National Science Foundation
Program Director, Information Integration and Informatics; Big Data Science and Engineering
September 1, 2010 – September 1, 2013
Arlington, VA
Iowa State University
Director of Research, Department of Computer Science
August 1, 2005 – August 1, 2010
Iowa State University
Director, Center for Computational Intelligence, Learning, & Discovery
July 1, 2005 – September 1, 2013
Iowa State University
Chair, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program
August 1, 2003 – July 1, 2005
Iowa State University
Professor of Computer Science
August 1, 2001 – September 1, 2013
Iowa State University
Professor of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
August 1, 2001 – September 1, 2013
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Visiting Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Biological Statistics
August 1, 2001 – May 1, 2002
Madison, Wisconsin
Carnegie Mellon University
Visiting Professor
September 1, 1998 – December 1, 1998
Greater Pittsburgh Region
Iowa State University
Associate Professor of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
August 1, 1998 – July 1, 2001
Iowa State University
Associate Professor of Computer Science
August 1, 1996 – July 1, 2001
Iowa State University
Director of Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory
August 1, 1990 – September 1, 2013
Iowa State University
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
August 1, 1990 – July 1, 1996
Cultural Fit Analysis
The candidate's career is predominantly within academia, focusing on research, education, and strategic leadership in AI and Data Science. While this demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing the field, the direct cultural fit for a typical 'Software Engineer' role in an industry setting might require further assessment. Their extensive experience in collaborative research and program development suggests an ability to work within diverse teams and contribute to a broader mission. However, the resume does not provide direct evidence of experience in agile development, product-focused engineering, or direct software development lifecycle contributions outside of a research context, which are common in industry software engineering roles.
Soft Skills & Operational Fit
The candidate demonstrates strong leadership, strategic planning, and collaboration skills through their extensive experience in directing research centers, leading academic programs, and serving on national committees. Their ability to foster interdisciplinary partnerships and manage large-scale initiatives indicates a high operational fit for roles requiring significant influence and coordination. The descriptions highlight a proactive approach to developing new programs and initiatives.