Assistant Professor Chris Maddison has been named a 2026 AI2050 Early Career Fellow by Schmidt Sciences. (Photo: Dan Komoda/Institute for Advanced Study)
Machine learning researcher and University of Toronto professor Chris Maddison has been named a 2026 AI2050 Early Career Fellow by Schmidt Sciences.
The AI2050 program supports researchers working to ensure artificial intelligence is developed responsibly and to tackle long-term challenges so that AI can be “truly beneficial to society by 2050.” This year’s 22 early career fellows and six senior fellows are eligible to receive up to $16 million over three years to pursue their research.
Maddison, an assistant professor cross-appointed to the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Statistical Sciences and a Canada CIFAR Chair in AI at the Vector Institute, researches machine learning methods with the goal of designing algorithms that can learn to make good predictions in complex real-world settings like medicine or drug discovery.
His AI2050 project addresses the challenge of scarce scientific data in drug discovery, where the most valuable scientific data is limited and expensive to verify. By developing AI methods that can learn from diverse scientific measurements and make better use of available data, the research aims to accelerate the discovery of new medicines.
“AI will shape nearly every aspect of our future, but the direction it takes is not inevitable,” said Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Sciences and co-chair of AI2050. “It will be determined by researchers willing to ask difficult questions, test bold ideas and confront risks before they become crises. These fellows are doing the foundational work needed to ensure AI safely becomes a force for scientific discovery and human progress, creating benefits that can reach people everywhere and improve lives around the world.”
Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that works to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs with the most promising, advanced tools to support a thriving planet. The organization prioritizes research in areas poised for impact, including AI and advanced computing, astrophysics, biosciences, climate, and space — as well as supporting researchers in a variety of disciplines through its science systems program.
With files from Schmidt Sciences.