Rayid Ghani is a Distinguished Career Professor in the Machine Learning Department and the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Rayid works at the intersection of AI/ML/Data Science and Public Policy/Social Good, focusing on developing and using these technologies to help tackle public policy and social challenges with a deliberate focus on fairness and equity. Rayid closely works with governments and nonprofits to help[ develop systems in policy areas such as health, human services,  criminal justice, education, public safety, economic development, and urban infrastructure. He is also passionate about teaching practical ML and data science and started the Data Science for Social Good Fellowship that trains computer scientists, statisticians, and social scientists from around the world to work on data science problems with social impact. His research focuses on Human-ML collaborative systems, dealing with fairness and bias issues in ML/AI systems, and on AI governance.

Before joining Carnegie Mellon University, Rayid was the founding director of the Center for Data Science & Public Policy, research associate professor in Computer Science, and a senior fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Previously, he was the chief scientist of the Obama 2012 Election Campaign where he focused on data, analytics, and technology to target and influence voters, donors, and volunteers. In his ample free time, Rayid obsesses over everything related to coffee and works with nonprofits to help them with their data, analytics, and digital efforts and strategy.