The Harvard Data Science Initiative (HDSI) is an interfaculty initiative at Harvard University that has united leading scientists, statisticians, and experts from across academic disciplines to leverage data science for education and impact. Since its launch in 2017, the HDSI has served as a catalyst for addressing global problems, discussing data-driven policy, and shaping the new science of data.
In 2023, the HDSI hosted a special series of industry seminars on data leadership featuring McKinsey & Company, an HDSI Corporate Member. During this four-part virtual series, the HDSI community had the opportunity to hear McKinsey & Company experts, Harvard faculty, and industry leaders from companies and NGOs discuss novel and increasingly urgent challenges in AI, digital trust, ethics, data governance, and regulation.
The HDSI also continued its Causal Inference seminar series, which invites faculty from universities across the nation to present their current causal inference research in-person on the Harvard campus. This series was created by the Causal Working Group, a university-wide working group of researchers interested in the methodologies and applications of causal inference. The Group is led by HDSI Faculty Director Francesca Dominici and Harvard faculty members Iavor Bojinov, José R. Zubizarreta, Kosuke Imai, and Luke Miratrix.
The HDSI recently released its second annual report, which highlights the recent growth and accomplishments of the Initiative, such as announcing the AWS impact computing project, welcoming new team members, and introducing the 2023 HDSI Postdoctoral Fellows. Additionally, the HDSI recently launched its redesigned website, expanded its social network, and gained over forty new faculty affiliates.
