Dr. Thorsten Joachims is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of computer science and information science at Cornell University where he currently serves as the interim dean for Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. He previously held significant leadership positions including associate dean for research and chair of the Department of Information Science, demonstrating his commitment to shaping academic computing disciplines. Dr. Joachims joined Cornell University in 2001 after completing his PhD under Professor Morik at the University of Dortmund, where he had also earned his Diplom in computer science in 1997. His academic journey included a postdoctoral position at the GMD in Germany between 2000 and 2001, and he was a visiting scholar at Carnegie Mellon University from 1994 to 1996 under Professor Tom Mitchell.
Dr. Joachims' pioneering research centers on the synthesis of theoretical foundations and practical system building in machine learning from human interaction, with significant contributions to counterfactual and causal inference, policy learning, and learning to rank methodologies. His work has profoundly impacted information access systems, recommendation algorithms, and emerging generative AI applications through novel approaches to structured output prediction and learning from implicit feedback. The exceptional quality and influence of his research is evidenced by his papers winning 11 Best Paper Awards and 4 Test-of-Time Awards across major conferences in the field. Dr. Joachims has served as program chair for premier conferences including ICML, KDD, and RecSys, reflecting the high esteem in which his methodological contributions are held by the international research community.
As the director of the Cornell AI Initiative and Radical Collaboration, Dr. Joachims has been instrumental in fostering interdisciplinary research and advancing the university's strategic vision in artificial intelligence. His leadership extends beyond Cornell as a member of the IMLS Board and the SIGKDD Executive Committee, where he helps shape the broader research agenda for machine learning and data science. Recognized with prestigious fellowships including ACM Fellow, AAAI Fellow, and Humboldt Fellow, alongside the NSF CAREER Award, Dr. Joachims continues to influence the next generation of researchers through his mentorship and collaborative approach. His ongoing work bridges theoretical machine learning with real-world applications, maintaining his position at the forefront of innovation in human-centered artificial intelligence systems.
