“Looking ahead, we are excited to build on the successes of the past year to further advance the role data science can play in driving change.” ”
Francesca Dominici + David C. Parkes FROM OUR FACULTY CO-DIRECTORS
D ear friends, This past year has been a re- markable one for the data sci- ence commu- nity at Harvard. Research- ers across the University have used data to drive our response to a global pan- demic that has affected ev- ery aspect of our society. Students and faculty have expanded our response to the injustice of persistent, systemic racism to look at bias within data science it- self. And, those responding to the war in Ukraine have embraced data science as a tool to facilitate humanitar- ian aid. These examples, borne of crisis and disrup- tion, have demonstrated the potential of data sci- ence to have impact on the most promising challeng- es faced by society. We are deeply proud of the Har- vard faculty, students, and staff who have responded to these issues with talent and dedication. The year 2022 is re- markable in another way: it marks the HDSI’s 5 th An- niversary. While we were not able to celebrate in person as we had hoped, we reached thousands of individuals through on- line seminars, panels, and workshops. These events showcased both method- ological innovations—for example, causal inference, visualization, or explain- able machine learning— and research that spans disciplines to ensure that data science accelerates advances in all fields. Pro - grammatic efforts like the HDSI’s Trust in Science
Project demonstrate the value of investing deeply in topics of critical societal importance. The past year also saw the launch of new ed- ucational efforts like the Summer Program for Un - dergraduates in Data Sci- ence (SPUDS) that build on the enthusiasm of our stu- dents to develop their data science skills and explore data-driven approaches to old and new questions alike. And, we were able to continue to reach audi- ences outside of Harvard’s walls through Harvard Data Science Review , HD- SI’s award-winning jour- nal, and its newly launched podcast. Looking ahead, we are excited to build on the successes of the past year to further advance the role data science can play in driving change. At the core of the HDSI’s mission has been a commitment to rigor, reproducibility, and contextual understanding, each of which is important in driving impact. We also remain dedicated to ensur- ing that methodologies ad- vance hand in hand with careful consideration of the ethical consequences of their application. Harvard’s breadth of scholarship and the talents of our faculty, students, and staff propel forward our as- pirations for the Harvard Data Science Initiative. We have seen how collabora- tive efforts across disci- plines can create knowl- edge and drive change. We look forward to supporting those efforts in the future and reporting back in 2023 on our work.
DAVID C. PARKES
FRANCESCA DOMINICI
George F. Colony Professor of Computer Science, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Clarence James Gamble Professor of Biostatistics, Population, and Data Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
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