Pierre Baldi

Pierre Baldi is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, at the University of California, Irvine, a position he has held since July 2018, following his appointment as Chancellor’s Professor from October 2006 to June 2018 and Professor since June 2001. He earned his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in 1986, a Master's in Computer Science and Engineering from ENSTA Paris in 1983, and additional Master's degrees in Mathematics and Psychology from universities in Paris. Baldi serves as Founding Director of the AI in Science Institute since July 2024, was Director of the Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics from January 2001 to June 2024, and holds joint appointments in the Departments of Mathematics since February 2017, Statistics since February 2015, Biological Chemistry, and Biomedical Engineering. His earlier career includes roles at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as Member of the Technical Staff from 1988 to 1995, Visiting Research Associate at Caltech, Visiting Lecturer at UC San Diego from 1986 to 1988, and Chairman and CEO of Net-ID, Inc. from 1991 to June 1999.

Baldi's research specializes in artificial intelligence and machine learning, emphasizing deep learning, neural networks, reinforcement learning, and their theoretical foundations alongside applications in natural sciences, including genomics, bioinformatics, protein structure and function prediction, drug screening and design, metabolic and regulatory networks, genome evolution, and high-energy physics data analysis. He has authored influential books such as "Bioinformatics: The Machine Learning Approach" (MIT Press, 1998; second edition, 2001), "The Shattered Self: The End of Natural Evolution" (MIT Press, 2001), "DNA Microarrays and Gene Regulation" (Cambridge University Press, 2002), "Modeling the Internet and the Web: Probabilistic Methods and Algorithms" (Wiley, 2003), and "Deep Learning in Science" (Cambridge University Press, 2021). Key publications include "Improved Prediction of the Number of Residue Contacts in Proteins by Recurrent Neural Networks" (Bioinformatics, 2001), "A Bayesian Framework for the Analysis of Microarray Expression Data" (Bioinformatics, 2001), and recent works on circadian reprogramming and neutrino oscillations. Baldi has received major honors including the 2023 Dennis Gabor Award from the International Neural Network Society, Eduardo R. Caianiello Prize (2010), Lew Allen Award (1993), Laurel Wilkening Faculty Innovation Award (1999), and fellowships from AAAI (2007), AAAS (2008), IEEE (2011), ACM (2012), ISCB (2013), and AAIA (2022), as well as membership in the National Academy of Artificial Intelligence (2025). With over 84,000 Google Scholar citations, his contributions have profoundly influenced machine learning in biology and physics.

Professional Email: pfbaldi@ics.uci.edu