Lester Mackey
Science Talent Search – 2003
International Science and Engineering Fair – 2003
About Lester Mackey
Computer scientist Lester Mackey improves statistical analysis of large data sets and uses scalable learning algorithms to address societal problems. Mackey earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and is a machine learning researcher at Microsoft Research. As a machine learning researcher, Mackey has designed innovative methods for predicting disease progression in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) patients and developed subseasonal forecasting models for floods and other natural disasters. In 2023, Mackey was named a MacArthur Fellow. Mackey has worked with several organizations to promote diversity in computer science, including the Black in AI Workshop. Mackey competed in the 2003 ISEF and STS.
Science Talent Search
Mackey presenting his project at the 2003 STS. Mackey credits STS and ISEF with providing him the experience and connections that kickstarted his research career.
2023 MacArthur Fellows
In this video, Mackey discusses how he uses machine learning to combine his passions for mathematics, computer science, and creative problem-solving.
Watch the video
Maya Ajmera, President & CEO of Society for Science and Publisher of Science News, sat down to chat with Lester Mackey
Read the interview
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