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Regina Barzilay wins MacArthur “genius grant”

MIT computer scientist who studies natural language processing and machine learning wins $625,000 prize.
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MIT Professor Regina Barzilay, 2017 MacArthur Fellow, was cited by the MacArthur Foundation for making “significant contributions to a wide range of problems in computational linguistics, including both interpretation and generation of human language.”
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MIT Professor Regina Barzilay, 2017 MacArthur Fellow, was cited by the MacArthur Foundation for making “significant contributions to a wide range of problems in computational linguistics, including both interpretation and generation of human language.”
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Photo courtesy of the MacArthur Foundation.

Regina Barzilay, a professor in MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) who does research in natural language processing and machine learning, is a recipient of a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship, sometimes referred to as a “genius grant.”

The fellowships carry a five-year, $625,000 prize, which recipients are free to use as they see fit. Twenty-one current MIT faculty members and three staff members have won MacArthur Fellowships, which were established in 1981 and are usually given out to roughly 25 people each year.
 
In accepting the award, Barzilay credited MIT for being an energizing and encouraging community.

"I have been blessed to work with amazing students and colleagues who challenge my thinking, inspire me, and give me a new perspective on research,” Barzilay says. "From my first days at MIT, it was clear to me that you don't have to conform to existing standards in the field. You are free to explore any direction you like."

The Delta Electronics Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Barzilay does research in natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning. Her research covers multiple areas of NLP, from syntactic parsing and the deciphering of dead languages, to developing new ways to train neural networks that can provide rationales for their decisions.

“I’m rarely interested in providing yet another solution to traditional NLP tasks,” she says. “I’m most excited about solving problems not within the mainstream of the field that require new perspectives.”

She has also been active in applying machine learning methods to oncology and drug design, arguing that data-driven approaches will soon revolutionize early detection and treatment of cancer.  

The MacArthur Foundation cited Barzilay for making “significant contributions to a wide range of problems in computational linguistics, including both interpretation and generation of human language.”

Barzilay joined the MIT faculty in 2003 after earning her PhD at Columbia University, where her dissertation centered on developing systems that can summarize news stories. She is the recipient of the National Science Foundation Career Award, the Microsoft Faculty Fellowship, and multiple “best paper” awards in her field.

Barzilay also co-teaches 6.036, MIT’s popular Introduction to Machine Learning course, which enrolled more than 700 students this spring. For her contributions to teaching machine learning and natural language processing, she was awarded the Jamieson Award for Excellence in teaching.

Other recent MacArthur Fellows on the MIT faculty include economist Heidi Williams (2015), computer scientist Dina Katabi and astrophysicist Sara Seager (2013); writer Junot Diaz (2012); physicist Nergis Mavalvala (2010); development economist Esther Duflo (2009); and architectural engineer John Ochsendorf and physicist Marin Soljacic (2008).

Press Mentions

The Wall Street Journal

Prof. Regina Barzilay has been named a MacArthur grant recipient for her work in computational linguistics and with applying machine learning to the field of oncology, reports Ellen Gamerman for The Wall Street Journal. “I firmly believe there is a lot of really important information and patterns that are hidden in the data of cancer patients,” said Barzilay. 

WBUR

Prof. Regina Barzilay, recipient of a 2017 MacArthur grant, speaks to Radio Boston’s Meghna Chakrabarti about her research. Barzilay explains that data is not currently used in the medical field “to select treatments, to personalize it, or to help the patients reduce their uncertainty about the outcomes. I really strongly felt it has to be changed.” 

Boston Globe

Boston Globe reporter Laura Crimaldi writes that Prof. Regina Barzilay has been awarded a Macarthur “genius grant” in recognition of her work in the field of computational linguistics. Barzilay said she plans to use the prize, “to continue to work on improving cancer care using machine learning and natural language processing.”

WGBH

During an appearance on WGBH’s Greater Boston, Prof. Regina Barzilay speaks with Jim Braude about her research and the experience of winning a MacArthur grant. Barzilay explains that the techniques she and her colleagues are developing to apply machine learning to medicine, “can be applied to many other areas. In fact, we have started collaborating and expanding.” 

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