Wiggins Receives Honorary Doctorate

Niagara University recognized the outstanding contributions of Professor Chris Wiggins last month, awarding him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during its graduate commencement ceremony. Wiggins, a trailblazer in data science and a thought leader in digital transformation, also delivered the keynote address to the graduating class.

In a speech that resonated deeply with graduates and faculty alike, Prof. Wiggins drew on his own interdisciplinary journey, from chaos theory to computational biology to data science, describing it as a "maze of twisty little passages." He emphasized the unpredictability of career paths and the vital role of curiosity, collaboration, and adaptability in navigating professional life.

Wiggins interwove themes of uncertainty and decision-making, borrowing from machine learning concepts such as the balance between exploration and exploitation. He also highlighted the growing importance of empathy in data science, particularly as data-driven technologies increasingly shape society and individual lives.

Prof. Wiggins is widely recognized as one of a select group of data scientists at the forefront of digital innovation in the United States. Since 2014, he has served as Chief Data Scientist at The New York Times, while also holding prominent academic roles at Columbia University. He is a founding member of the executive committee of Columbia’s Data Science Institute and serves as an associate professor in the Departments of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics.

A respected author and researcher, Wiggins has written extensively on the intersection of data science and public good. His work with the Health Analytics Center at Columbia University Medical Center explores the transformative potential of data-driven methods in healthcare.

He is co-author of two influential books: Data Science in Context: Foundations, Challenges, and Opportunities, a widely-used textbook, and How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms, which offers a sweeping look at the evolution of data and computation in society.