Membership in or affiliation with the Data Science Institute (DSI) is open to full-time faculty in the Columbia University community who are actively engaged in DSI initiatives and activities.

Terminology

We distinguish between a member and an affiliate of the Data Science Institute and use the term “membership” for members and “affiliation” for affiliate.

Guiding Principle: To open membership or affiliation to anyone in the Columbia community who is actively engaged in DSI, energetically and enthusiastically supports the mission of the Institute, and contributes to its activities and program.

Who: By “faculty”, we mean full-time officers of instruction and officers of research. Postdocs and students are not eligible to be members or affiliates of DSI.

Process: Any interested faculty member at Columbia may apply to be a member or affiliate of DSI. A DSI membership committee will determine membership. A member will have a three-year renewable term. We encourage any interested faculty to talk first to the chair of the DSI membership committee before officially applying, to get a sense of the expectations of being a DSI member.

Application Process and Term

Affiliates are reviewed and approved by the Chair of the DSI Membership Committee in consultation with the DSI Director with the roster reviewed periodically.

Members are reviewed and approved by the DSI Membership Committee and have a three-year renewable term.

Review of both applications consider contributions to DSI and may include the following which are suggestive and typical examples of current members and affiliates; applicants are also encouraged to suggest ideas not on this list as DSI is always open for new and creative ways to enrich DSI’s impact at Columbia and beyond.

Teaching
  • Teach regularly (once a year) a data science related course
  • Teach for bootcamps, training workshops, executive education, etc.
Research
  • Regularly run data science relevant grants (including industry-funded research) through DSI
  • Sponsor post-docs and/or PhD students doing work in data science
Service
  • Serve on a DSI standing committee, (e.g. Leadership Team, Executive Committee, Education Committee, Membership Committee); serve as a chair/co-chair of DSI center
  • Support engagements with industry
  • Participate in multiple industry meetings
  • Formal presentation to industry at their facilities

Expectations

Both affiliates and members are expected to be ambassadors for the DSI and for data science at Columbia University and are expected to:

  • List DSI as one of their Columbia affiliations in cv, talks, papers, grant proposals, letters of reference, press articles, etc.
  • Help promote DSI internally and externally
    • Participate in DSI intellectual community and outreach
    • Work with the DSI communications team to publicize research and educational contributions to data science

Additionally, members are also expected to:

  • List DSI in any grant run through DSI and publication funded by such grant

Benefits

Both affiliates and members will receive the following benefits:

  • Included in our email list, to inform you of all DSI news, events and funding opportunities
  • Listed on our DSI website
  • Provided access to data science expertise through applied data scientists, post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduates, depending on their availability

Additionally, members will also receive:

  • Priority access to data science expertise through applied data scientists, post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduates, depending on their availability
  • Inclusion on funding opportunities
  • Support from programs provided by acceleration funds: seed grants, post-docs, faculty recruiting
  • Support from resources provided by development funds (when they come)
  • Support from the Communications Team
  • Support from staff to run DSI-based events
  • Support from DSI-funded computational resources (e.g., credits on Ginsburg)
  • Priority access to DSI space, if and when available
  • Publicity of people and their work through Communications Team efforts
  • Promotion of work through the Director’s presentations about DSI internally and externally

Become a Member or Affiliate

If you are interested in becoming a DSI Member or Affiliate, please fill out the form below. Applications are reviewed on a month to month basis. For questions about your application status, please email Maisem Jaloudi mj3146@columbia.edu.

Application Form