Johns Hopkins to create data science and AI institute with 110 new faculty posts

Johns Hopkins University announced on August 3, 2023 that it would create a new institute for data science and artificial intelligence, led by its Whiting School of Engineering and serving all of the university's divisions. The plan includes a large round of faculty hiring and a new building on the Homewood campus in Baltimore.

The university said it would recruit 80 new affiliated faculty members to the Whiting School and appoint 30 new Bloomberg Distinguished Professors with cross-disciplinary expertise to extend the institute's work across the institution. The planned facility is to be purpose-built with substantial computing resources. Research is expected to apply data science and AI in neuroscience, precision medicine, climate resilience and sustainability, public sector innovation, and the social sciences and humanities. Two interim co-directors were named while an international search for a permanent director takes place. The announcement gave no dollar figure, saying the institute is supported through institutional funds and philanthropy.

Building a leading academic hub for data science and AI is one of the 10 goals in the university's Ten for One strategic plan. Johns Hopkins said the institute would work alongside existing units, including the Institute for Data Intensive Engineering and Science, the Center for Language and Speech Processing, the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare and the Applied Physics Laboratory.