Cornell University has awarded Aditya Vashistha, assistant professor of information science at the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, the Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service through Diversity.
The $15,000 prize, established in 2019, is awarded to faculty members who have made sustained and transformative contributions to diversity in research, teaching, and service.
Vashistha, whose work spans South Asia, has been instrumental in creating culturally relevant AI technologies aimed at improving social and economic outcomes for underserved communities. His innovations benefit over 250,000 community health workers, low-literate individuals, and blind social media users.
“I design technologies for the left behind – the 85 percent of the world limited to a low income, who are working in oppressive conditions and living in societies with deep social, digital and health inequities,” Vashistha said.
His research includes novel methods to combat misinformation and hate speech in low-income communities and designing AI tools for community health workers in India, who typically have only a high school education and brief training.
In Ithaca, Vashistha serves as faculty director of Hack4Impact, a project team that provides undergraduate students with opportunities to develop technical solutions for local organizations. He teaches courses such as "Computing and Global Development" and "Technology for Underserved Communities," which have educated over 550 students, preparing them to design technologies for diverse populations globally.
Additionally, Vashistha co-organizes a job market series to support Ph.D. students in their career preparations. He completed a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington.
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