Jürgen Schmidhuber
- Professor, Computer Science
- Co-Chair, Center of Excellence for Generative AI
- Principal Investigator, Juergen Schmidhuber Research Group
Professor Schmidhuber is a renowned computer scientist, best known for his pioneering work in artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning and artificial neural networks. He has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed papers and has provided AI strategies to several governments.
Biography
Jürgen Schmidhuber is the co-chair of the Center of Excellence for Generative AI (GenAI) at KAUST and a professor in the Computer Science Program within the Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering (CEMSE) Division. Before joining KAUST, he served as the Director of the Swiss AI Lab, IDSIA, and was a professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Lugano (USI) from 2009 to 2021.
Dr. Schmidhuber earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, in 1991. He is a co-founder and chief scientist of NNAISENSE and has authored over 350 peer-reviewed papers. He is a recognized keynote speaker and adviser on AI strategies to various governments.
His pioneering work in deep learning neural networks has significantly impacted AI, with applications in speech recognition, machine translation, and personal assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa. His research group was the first to achieve superhuman performance in official computer vision contests and won a medical imaging contest in 2012.
At KAUST, Professor Schmidhuber collaborates on AI research projects, contributes to developing AI-related educational programs, and engages with public and private sector organizations in Saudi Arabia and globally.
Research Interests
Professor Schmidhuber is a founding leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. At KAUST, he leads and works with many current faculty members with research interests in AI.
He spearheads the research focus on AI applications across various fields, including health care, drug design, chemistry, materials science, speech recognition, natural language processing, automation, robotics and soft robotics.
Professional Profile
Awards and Distinctions
- Steiger Award, 2019
- Top 100 Leaders of Switzerland 2018, Swiss economy magazine BILANZ, 2018
- IEEE CIS Neural Networks Pioneer Award, 2016
- NVIDIA Pioneers of AI Research Award, 2016
- Swiss ICT Special Award for the Swiss AI Lab IDSIA, 2016
- Helmholtz Award of the International Neural Networks Society, 2013
Professional Memberships
- Co-Founder, President, Chief Scientist, NNAISENSE, 2014
- Director, AI Initiative at KAUST, 2021
- Scientific Director, Swiss AI Lab, IDSIA, Lugano, Switzerland, 1995
- djunct Professor of Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Computer Science, University of Lugano (USI), 2021
- Chief Scientific Advisor, AI Research Institute (AIRI), Moscow, 2021
Education
- Habilitation
- Computer Science, Technical University of Munich, Germany, 1993
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Computer Science, Technical University of Munich, Germany, 1991
- Diploma
- Computer Science and Mathematics, Technical University of Munich, Germany, 1987
Quote
"We hope the new AI initiative will contribute to a new Golden Age for science, analogous to the Islamic Golden Age that started over a millennium ago when the Middle East was leading the world in science and technology."