Amii is pleased to announce Amii Fellows Bei Jiang and J.Ross Mitchell have been appointed Canada CIFAR AI Chairs by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR). Through this announcement, Amii continues to increase its world-leading research capacity, with the number of Canada CIFAR AI Chairs at Amii growing to 36.

“We are thrilled to congratulate Amii fellows Bei Jiang and Ross Mitchell on their well-deserved Canada CIFAR AI Chair appointments,” says Cam Linke, CEO of Amii.

“Through the CIFAR AI Chairs program and its transformational investments into the National AI Centres, Amii can continue to grow as a leader in fundamental research on a global scale and drive the future of AI. We look forward to the continued advancement and demonstrations of scientific excellence from Bei and Ross and the meaningful impact their work will have in the field. Congratulations to all incoming Canada CIFAR AI Chairs.”

CIFAR announced a total of eight new Canada CIFAR AI Chairs, including Jiang and Mitchell, and the first-ever renewal of seven existing Chairs as part of the second phase of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy.

The Canada CIFAR AI Chairs program, funded by the Government of Canada, provides long-term dedicated research funding for the Chairs to advance research and help train the next generation of AI leaders. This recent appointment increases Canada CIFAR AI Chairs to 126 across the country, thereby growing Canada’s robust AI research ecosystem and advancing Canada’s leadership in AI globally.

“With the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence, it has never been more important to ensure that we are supporting our best and brightest minds, their research programs and work to train the next generation or research leaders,” says The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.

“Ongoing funding for Canada CIFAR AI Chairs is advancing research in a range of fundamental and applied AI topics, including drug discovery and machine learning for health, autonomous vehicles, materials discovery, human-AI interaction, natural language processing, and more. On behalf of the Government of Canada, my congratulations to all the well-deserving recipients.”

Learn more about Amii’s newest Canada CIFAR AI Chairs and their incredible research below.

Overcoming classical statistical inference with AI

Bei Jiang; Amii Fellow and Associate Professor at the University of Alberta.

Jiang’s research aims to advance the field of health data analysis by developing efficient analytics tools, enabling secure data sharing and developing fair machine learning algorithms.

Being appointed a Canada CIFAR AI Chair will provide me with opportunities to collaborate with other leading experts in the field and to establish new connections that will further advance our understanding of AI.

• Bei Jiang, Amii Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair

“The appointment is a recognition of the important role that statistics plays in the field of AI," says Jiang.

"As statisticians, we have a unique perspective and skill set that can contribute to the development of more accurate and reliable AI models. Being appointed a Canada CIFAR AI Chair will provide me with opportunities to collaborate with other leading experts in the field and to establish new connections that will further advance our understanding of AI. I am excited about the possibilities this appointment brings and look forward to making meaningful contributions to the field of AI.”

AI for equitable and sustainable healthcare

J. Ross Mitchell; Amii fellow, Professor at the University of Alberta and Chair in AI in Health at Alberta Health Services.

J. Ross Mitchell’s research is focused on healthcare applications of AI and machine learning. In his role as the Inaugural Alberta Health Services Chair in AI in Health, his goal is to provide physicians and medical researchers with Al-powered tools that can help manage the complexity of diagnosis and treatment planning.

I am very thankful and grateful for the support CIFAR and Amii have shown for my work.

• J. Ross Mitchell, Amii Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair

"This funding will help us expand research at the University of Alberta College of Health Sciences in AI for Precision Health. Our goal is to identify areas where AI can improve health outcomes, streamline care delivery, and reduce costs. We believe this funding will encourage bright young minds to come work with us to tackle some of the most difficult and important issues in equitable and sustainable health care today.”