Omar Abudayyeh AGE: 30 AFFILIATION: MIT COUNTRY OF BIRTH: US CRISPR has been called the discovery of the century for its potential to change biomedical research and treatment of genetic diseases. But it was Omar Abudayyeh who helped turn the gene-editing tool into a diagnostic test, …Continue reading
Her research on racial bias in data used to train facial recognition systems is forcing companies to change their ways
Inioluwa Deborah Raji AGE: 24 AFFILIATION: AI NOW INSTITUTE COUNTRY OF BIRTH: NIGERIA The spark that sent Inioluwa Deborah Raji down a path of artificial-intelligence research came from a firsthand realization that she remembers as “horrible.”Raji was interning at the machine–learning startup Clarifai after her third …Continue reading
A loved one’s diagnosis led her to employ machine learning in the search for a Parkinson’s cure.
Katharina Volz AGE: 33 AFFILIATION: OCCAMZRAZOR COUNTRY OF BIRTH: GERMANY In 2016, Katharina Volz received news that someone close to her had Parkinson’s. At the time Volz had just finished her PhD at Stanford and was locked into a well-earned career in academic research, working on …Continue reading
His biodegradable plastic protects against extreme chemicals, but heals itself using water
Avinash Manjula Basavanna AGE: 33 AFFILIATION: WYSS INSTITUTE, HARVARD UNIVERSITY COUNTRY OF BIRTH: INDIA Of the estimated 9.1 billion tons of plastic ever produced, only 9% has been recycled. Almost 80% ends up as waste that adds to growing landfills or pollutes the natural environment, where it takes …Continue reading
Her tools let anyone design products without having to understand materials science or engineering
Adriana Schulz AGE: 34 AFFILIATION: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON COUNTRY OF BIRTH: BRAZIL Adriana Schulz’s computer-based design tools let average users and engineers alike use graphical drag-and-drop interfaces to create functional, complex objects as diverse as robots and birdhouses without having to understand their underlying mechanics, geometries, …Continue reading
He is designing computer chips to seamlessly connect human brains and machines
Dongjin Seo AGE: 31 AFFILIATION: NEURALINK COUNTRY OF BIRTH: US Six years ago Dongjin “DJ” Seo said he’d always wanted to be “a scientist with strong intuitions about how to improve the world through engineering.” At the time, he was working in a crowded corner of …Continue reading
His company’s artificial limbs are not only high-functioning but cheap enough for people in low-income countries
Mohamed Dhaouafi AGE: 28 AFFILIATION: CURE BIONICS COUNTRY OF BIRTH: TUNISIA Four years ago, during a university challenge, Mohamed Dhaouafi found out that one of his teammates’ cousins had been born without upper limbs and couldn’t afford prosthetics. An engineering student at the time, he’d been …Continue reading
He’s employing neural networks to allow automated cars to “see.”
Andrej Karpathy AGE: 33 AFFILIATION: TESLA COUNTRY OF BIRTH: SLOVAKIA Getting computers to see—to actually see—has been an ambition of countless computer scientists for decades. Few have come closer than Andrej Karpathy, whose approach to deep neural networks allows machines to make sense of what is …Continue reading
Heavy dependence on infrastructure like oil rigs, nuclear reactors, and desalination plants can be catastrophic in a crisis. Her data-driven framework could help nations prepare
Ghena Alhanaee AGE: 30 AFFILIATION: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNTRY OF BIRTH: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Early on in her days as a doctoral student at the University of Southern California, Ghena Alhanaee stumbled upon a disturbing set of facts. The countries of the Persian Gulf, including …Continue reading
His system could alleviate the drawbacks of existing desalination plants
David Warsinger AGE: 32 AFFILIATION: PURDUE UNIVERSITY COUNTRY OF BIRTH: US David Warsinger thinks he’s found an innovation that could help combat one of the 21st century’s great environmental challenges: water shortages around the globe. His fix is an improved form of reverse osmosis—the most common …Continue reading