[August 22, 2023]

Women in Data Science (WiDS) Worldwide To Host Global Virtual Conference September 14th

Women in Data Science (WiDS) Worldwide, a nonprofit dedicated to elevating and empowering women in the field of data science, today announced the full lineup for its Global Virtual Conference, taking place on September 14, 2023. The conference, which is free to attend, will unite the data science community from across the globe, and showcase the impact that data science is making on economic justice, sustainability, health, safety, and leadership, as well as advances in technologies such as natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs).

"Data science is critically reshaping our world and at an ever-increasing rate, yet women are significantly underrepresented. Women in Data Science is committed to elevating and empowering women in the field by providing inspiration, education, community, and support," said Margot Gerritsen, WiDS Cofounder and Executive Director and Professor Emerita, Stanford University. "This year's Global Virtual Conference will highlight 19 outstanding women leading the field and celebrate the impact of women in data science. We look forward to connecting with the community, and collectively moving one step closer to achieving our immediate mission: to increase the representation of women in data science to 30% by 2030."

Haishan Fu, Chief Statistician of the World Bank and Director of the Development Data Group, Development Economics will kick off the conference with an opening address on using data to end poverty and promote shared prosperity, followed by a keynote on the impact of data to power today, predict tomorrow and innovate for the future from Susan Doniz, Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President, Information Technology and Data Analytics, The Boeing Company. The conference will also feature a keynote on the power of art and how our brains and bodies are transformed through the arts from Ivy Ross, Vice President of Hardware Design at Google, and Susan Magsamen, Founder and Executive Director of the International Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab), Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics.

Rounding out the conference will be technical vision talks and panel discussions with some top minds from across data science. Topics and speakers include:

Natural Language Processing
Chelsea Finn, Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Electrical Engieering, Stanford University: Language Models Make Stuff Up. What Should We Do About It?

Sustainability
Gopika Suresh, Senior Remote Sensing Expert, UNIQUE forestry and land use GmbH: Global Solutions for a Global World: Latest Trends and Gaps in the Field of Earth Observation and Remote Sensing
Fiorenza Micheli Professor, Stanford University: Harnessing Data and Tech for Ocean Health
Marilia Gaiarsa, Assistant Professor at the Life and Environmental Sciences Department at UC Merced: Untangling Nature's Web: Pollination and the Path to a Sustainable Future

Health and Safety
Sparkle Russell Puleri, Director, CDS Advanced Analytics, Oncology, Gilead Sciences, Inc: Data Science in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry
Rhema Vaithanathan, Professor of Economics, AUT Center for Social Data Analytics: Can Algorithms Reduce Bias? Evidence from Child Welfare and Homelessness Systems
Paula Petrone, Biomedical Data Scientist, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal): Can Artificial Intelligence "See" Beyond the Expert Clinical Eye?

Leadership
Lama Moussawi, Professor, Management Science, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development, American University of Beirut: Bursting Pipelines and Glass Cliffs: Women and Leadership in the MENA Region
Milinda Lakkam, Engineering Manager - Machine Learning, LinkedIn: Navigating the Trenches: Managerial Challenges in Machine Learning for Anti-Abuse
Ruth Schaber, President and Founder of Tara Health Foundation and ?Patience Marime-Ball, CEO of Women of the World Endowment: Women as Financial Decision-Makers: Unlocking higher Returns and Lower Risk
Brenda Darden Wilkerson, President and CEO, AnitaB.org: Recognizing Our Collective Power for Change

"We envision a future in which women are fully integrated in all areas of data science and share in decision making, wealth creation and opportunities," said Esteban Arcaute, Senior Director of Responsible AI at Meta and WiDS Board Member. "That's what we want to achieve in the long term."

Full event information is available at https://www.widsconference.org.

About Women in Data Science Worldwide

Women in Data Science (WiDS) Worldwide is a nonprofit dedicated to changing the field of data science across the globe by elevating and empowering women to achieve 30% representation in education, innovation and leadership by 2030. Since its beginnings as a Stanford conference in 2015, the organization has steadily built a community of women in data science, at every level of involvement, around the globe. To advance its mission, the organization runs programs in education, innovation and leadership, including: conferences, datathon competitions, an ambassador network, podcasts, NextGen outreach and education for secondary schools, upskill workshops, and recruiting events. WiDS has more than 500 Ambassadors, and each year hosts more than 200 events around the globe, reaching more than 100,000 participants in more than 163 countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230822441694/en/

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