Raquel Urtasun and Brendan Frey
(Photo of Raquel Urtasun by Natalia Dolan)
Two Department of Computer Science-affiliated faculty members have been named to Toronto Life’s list of ‘The 50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2021,’ an annual list of local luminaries.
At number 14 is “the Spanish-born AI wunderkind” Professor Raquel Urtasun, who launched the autonomous driving startup Waabi earlier this year with an initial fundraising round of more than $100 million. “Urtasun’s decision to build Waabi’s headquarters in Toronto was based in part on the country’s high concentration of AI talent,” writes Toronto Life.
At number 48 is Brendan Frey, professor in U of T’s Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, with cross-appointments in the Department of Computer Science, the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research and the Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.
Frey is the founder and CEO of U of T spinoff company Deep Genomics, which aims to use AI to predict the effects of genetic mutations, and how best to treat them. “That goal got a lot closer this summer with a $180-million (U.S.) fundraising round that will soon push four potential therapies into clinical trial,” Toronto Life reports.
Frey is also an alumnus of the Department of Computer Science, having studied under University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton.