Life Sciences Communication (LSC) Assistant Professor Kaiping Chen and Professor Mike Xenos have been awarded Vilas Faculty Investigator Awards from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Chen, whose research focuses on computational social science, received a Vilas Faculty Early-Career Investigator Award, which recognize research and teaching excellence in faculty who are in relatively early stages of their careers. Chen’s recent work has centered on the intersection between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and science communication.
“This Early-Career Award will provide essential support for my research on developing Generative AI algorithms to enhance public deliberation on critical science and social issues,” Chen says. “This award also enables me to continue civic-engaged research in partnership with community organizations to make these AI tools accessible and useful for under served populations.”
Xenos received a Vilas Faculty Mid-Career Investigator Award in recognition of his excellence in research and teaching. The prestigious awards are for UW–Madison faculty members approximately 10 to 20 years into their career. Xenos’ research centers on the effects of digital media on public engagement and public deliberation. Additionally, Xenos serves as the LSC Director of Undergraduate Studies.
“This award will enable me to pursue valuable pilot data and graduate student mentoring opportunities in a number of project areas,” Xenos says. “In particular, I am excited to use the award to conduct important preliminary studies of how science issues become politicized and polarized as well as informal and incidental engagement with science through social media and online video.”
“These awards not only honor our distinguished faculty but show UW-Madison’s commitment to the science of science communication,” says LSC Professor and Chair Dominique Brossard. “Congratulations, and On Wisconsin!”
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Written by: Julia Wiessing, LSC M.S. ’25
Published: December 2024