Celebrated academic and thought leader in machine learning and AI research, UC Berkeley Distinguished Professor Michael I. Jordan, has been named laureate professor at Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI).

He was also named honorary director of a new Laureate Faculty Programme, which he will help build with MBZUAI President, Professor Eric Xing.

Jordan’s appointment brings a wealth of experience to the university, and to the country, in artificial intelligence; in the interface of computer science and statistics; and in computational biology, natural language processing, and signal processing.

He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as a foreign member of the Royal Society. In 2016, he was cited by Science Magazine as the most influential author in computer science. And he holds an honorary doctorate from Yale University.

The Laureate Faculty Programme, which Jordan will help develop, recognises the unique and impactful contributions that globally renowned AI researchers, like Jordan, bring to the university community and the country.

MBZUAI, the UAE and the region benefit from the knowledge, skills and reputation of laureate faculty in the building of a vibrant academic culture and in the transfer of knowledge into impact for the local economy and academic talent pool.

The programme, which is the brainchild of MBZUAI President, Professor Eric Xing, aims to be a “unique venue for leading researchers to dive into areas of inquiry, build research teams and communities, and carry out intimate scientific exchanges without worrying about administrative burdens and lack of access to funding, computing infrastructure, and data,” Xing said.

Jordan joins as the first honorary director of the Laureate Faculty Programme at a critical moment in the institution’s development.

“Professor Jordan’s stature, both as a global academic, and as a leading mind in AI and machine learning, makes him the ideal person to lead our new Laureate Faculty Program,” MBZUAI President, Professor Eric Xing, said. “With this appointment, we’re seeking to deliver maximum impact for our student body, for our institutional partners, and for the UAE.”