A professor of Indian descent has recently assumed a faculty role at Harvard University’s Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence. Kanaka Rajan holds the distinction of being the inaugural faculty member appointed within the newly established Kempner Institute, where she will serve as an institute investigator.
In addition to her role at the Kempner Institute, Rajan will also hold a concurrent position within the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Her appointment is geared towards fostering collaboration between the HMS Department of Neurobiology and the Kempner Institute, with the shared goal of advancing research, science, and education, as outlined in an official announcement by the Institute.
Renowned for her groundbreaking work in the field, Bernardo Sabatini, co-director of the Kempner Institute, lauds Rajan as a trailblazer who employs innovative methods to tackle profound questions. Her expertise is seen as instrumental in harnessing artificial intelligence and machine learning to unravel the enduring enigmas of the human brain.
David Ginty, chair of the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, expresses gratitude for Rajan’s decision to join the Harvard community. He anticipates her arrival will be a catalyst for further advancements in neurobiology research, thanks to the collaboration between the medical school and the Kempner Institute.
Kanaka Rajan’s research focus centers on understanding how animals and humans acquire knowledge, retain memories, and make decisions, all through the intricate neural circuits of the brain. As a leader in the realm of computational neuroscience, she is poised to expand the network of researchers at Harvard employing computational techniques to explore the complexities of the brain.
Rajan’s academic journey includes an associate professorship in the Department of Neuroscience and the Friedman Brain Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Her academic pursuits encompass a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University and the attainment of a PhD from Columbia University.
In recognition of her remarkable contributions to research, Rajan has received numerous prestigious awards and honors. These accolades include the CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars Program, membership in the Allen Institute’s Next Generation Leaders Council, the Harold & Golden Lamport Basic Science Research Award, and the McKnight Scholars Award.
