President Biden awarded FIU College of Engineering and Computing Associate Professor Mark Finlayson and a select group of distinguished researchers the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in January.
PECASE is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers. Established by President Clinton in 1996, PECASE recognizes scientists and engineers who show exceptional potential for leadership early in their research careers. The award recognizes innovative and far-reaching developments in science and technology, expands awareness of careers in science and engineering, recognizes the scientific missions of participating agencies, enhances connections between research and impacts on society, and highlights the importance of science and technology for our nation’s future.
Also earning an award last month was FIU College of Arts, Sciences & Education Associate Professor Remy Dou.
Finlayson researches the science of narrative from a computational point of view. He develops novel AI technology to better understand the connections between stories, cognition, and culture, while simultaneously helping AI better understand human language and behavior. His work has advanced knowledge in a wide variety of fields, from computer science and AI to defense and the digital humanities.
“I am deeply honored for my work to have been recognized by a PECASE. I believe that it shows that if you hone your instincts for high quality science, and then follow your instincts where they lead, it will result in important advances, even if your path takes your far from the mainstream,” says Finlayson, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Graduate Program Director in the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences at the College of Engineering and Computing.
In his lab, called the Cognition, Language, and Culture Laboratory, Finlayson mentors students in research at the doctoral, masters, and undergraduate level. Many of his students have gone on to be professors themselves. He is also an active member of the international AI research community. Recently, Finlayson served as a chair of the 2024 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing (EMNLP 2024), a top conference on AI which was held in Miami last November.
“Professor Finlayson’s groundbreaking work on AI and narrative has established him as a distinguished leader early in his career. I am thrilled that he has received the PECASE award. His achievements perfectly demonstrate how our college is advancing AI technologies that are transforming society,” said Inés R. Triay, Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing.
By David Drucker.