Jeremy Kedziora, Ph.D. has been named the PieperPower Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence at Milwaukee School of Engineering effective March 1, 2023.  

Kedziora is an award-winning researcher and scientist with 17 years of experience developing new methods in machine learning, Bayesian inference and game theory. Previously, he was a director of data science and analytics at Northwestern Mutual, where he managed the development of machine learning and modeling efforts focused on cybersecurity. Prior to that Kedziora led product development at financial tech (fintech) startup Giant Oak where he focused on natural language processing. Kedziora also served for 9 years at the Central Intelligence Agency as a chief methodologist where he led applied R&D efforts in data science and modeling. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Rochester and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and serves as an advisor to multiple fintech startups.

“Artificial intelligence and machine learning are part of everyday life at home and work. Businesses and industries—from manufacturing to health care and everything in between—are using them to solve problems, improve efficiencies and invent new products,” said Dr. John Walz, MSOE president. “We are excited to welcome Dr. Jeremy Kedziora as MSOE’s first PieperPower Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence. With MSOE as an educational leader in this space, it is imperative that our students are prepared to develop and advance AI and machine learning technologies while at the same time implementing them in a responsible and ethical manner.”  

The PieperPower Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence was made possible through a $2.5 million gift from Pieper Electric Inc. and the PPC Foundation Inc. This new role at MSOE further positions the university at the forefront of artificial intelligence education and next generation technologies.  

“PPC Partners has a long history of investing in the communities in which we operate. The opportunity to sponsor this chair provides a unique opportunity to contribute to the societal impacts of AI in a meaningful and lasting way,” PPC Partners said in a statement.  

Kedziora will hold a full-time faculty position in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at MSOE and will pursue research advancing the interaction of artificial intelligence with humans and its potential impacts on society. He will act as a catalyst to establish a global collaboration that will address the societal challenges and opportunities brought forth by the widespread use and increasing power of artificial intelligence and AI-based solutions that solve the complex technical and ethical challenges of today and tomorrow, consistent with MSOE’s mission.  

“I am thrilled to join the faculty at MSOE! Universities are unique, vibrant places full of personal growth, creativity, and pioneering scholarship. I look forward to giving all that I can to maximize the MSOE student experience and share my passion for building the best possible machine learning and AI technology with new generations of burgeoning technologists,” said Kedziora. “Beyond that, I am excited about the tech community in southeastern Wisconsin, and am eager to contribute to reinforcing and expanding MSOE as a major point of engagement for tech in Milwaukee.”  

MSOE has made significant investments in this space over the past four years, beginning with a $34 million gift from MSOE Regent and alumnus Dr. Dwight Diercks and his wife Dian to build the Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall. Diercks Hall opened in 2019 and is home to “Rosie,” an NVIDIA GPU-accelerated supercomputer. MSOE also launched a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science that is focused on artificial intelligence. Enrollment in the program has more than doubled projections and has grown into one of the university’s largest programs in less than five years. ­The first class of computer science students graduated in May 2022, each with multiple lucrative job offers.  

Beyond the B.S. in Computer Science, faculty are incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity and big data into a number of disciplines at MSOE and through an AI for Emerging Applications Undergraduate Certificate. New graduate programs offered by the university include a Master of Science in Machine Learning, a Graduate Certificate in Applied Machine Learning, and a Graduate Certificate in Machine Learning Engineering.