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NNCI Events

Distinguished Speaker Series

2026-2027

The Northwestern Network for Collaborative Intelligence Distinguished Speaker Series convenes leading voices in data science and artificial intelligence to illuminate emerging ideas, foster interdisciplinary dialogue, and examine how these fields intersect with diverse domains of study. Through a combination of keynote talks and expert panels, the series provides attendees with both substantive insights and valuable opportunities for professional connection.
See our Fall 2026 schedule below! We are planning an exciting line-up of discussions on topics including AI + Computational Biology, empirical machine learning, and implementation sciences.

Fall 2026

Learning Cellular Organization and Function Across Scales

Learning Cellular Organization and Function Across Scales

  • Jian Ma
Ray and Stephanie Lane Professor of Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University

Date: Tuesday, September 29th 
Time: 1:00-2:30 PM CT
Location: Robert H Lurie Medical Research Center, Hughes Auditorium, 303 E. Superior, Chicago, IL 60611
Hybrid event! 

Register Here

Past Events

AI in Sports – From Discovery to Disruption

AI in Sports – From Discovery to Disruption

  • Inderpal Bhandari
Creator of Advanced Scout (NBA), Former Global Chief Data Officer, IBM
AI in the Judiciary

AI in the Judiciary

  • Xavier Rodriguez
U.S. District Court Judge
AI & The Future of News

AI & The Future of News

  • Distinguished Panel: Jeremy Gilbert, Nick Diakopoulos, Emily Withrow, moderated by Larry Birnbaum
Generative AI for Molecules & Materials

Generative AI for Molecules & Materials

  • Distinguished Panel: Julius Lucks, Chris Wolverton, moderated by Chris Schuh
Big-Data Algorithms That Are Not Machine Learning

Big-Data Algorithms That Are Not Machine Learning

  • Jeffrey Ullman
Stanford W. Ascherman Professor of Engineering (Emeritus), Department of Computer Science, Stanford University; and CEO of Gradiance Corp
AI and Modern Cyberinfrastructure: Enabling the Next Wave of Interdisciplinary Discovery

AI and Modern Cyberinfrastructure: Enabling the Next Wave of Interdisciplinary Discovery

  • Distinguished Panel: Sean Mooney, Joe Paris, Abel Kho, moderated by Kristi Holmes
AI & The Future of Education

AI & The Future of Education

  • Distinguished Panel: Jeremy Gilbert, Sara Sood, moderated by Karen Smilowitz
Towards Virtual Patient: AI for Accelerating Medical Discovery

Towards Virtual Patient: AI for Accelerating Medical Discovery

  • Hoifung Poon
General Manager of Real-World Evidence, Microsoft Research
AI & Biosecurity

AI & Biosecurity

  • Distinguished Panel: Doni Bloomfield, Daniel Eisenman, Nicole Kikendall, moderated by Mohammad Hosseini