Wiggins Takes on New Leadership and Research Roles in AI

Chris Wiggins was appointed Adviser to the Dean for AI Strategy at Columbia College, where he will work closely with Dean Sorrett to advance AI strategy and policy initiatives across the College. The appointment reflects Columbia’s growing commitment to shaping the responsible development and use of artificial intelligence in education and research. 

Wiggins has also been named a Visiting Professor at the University of Edinburgh for 2026–2029. He will collaborate with Professor Donald MacKenzie (FBA FRSE FAcSS) and colleagues on research exploring the intersection of AI and economics.

CNN has also appointed Wiggins as its new head of machine learning and AI science, a newly created role. Wiggins, who spent more than a decade leading AI and data initiatives as Chief Data Scientist at The New York Times, will strengthen the network’s digital new work in machine learning and its AI transformation strategy. Together, these appointments underscore Wiggins’s leadership in interdisciplinary AI research and align with APAM’s expanding emphasis on collaboration across fields, as well as Columbia’s broader AI initiatives.

Wiggins is an associate professor in the APAM Department and a founding member of the university’s Data Science Institute, with additional affiliations in systems biology and statistics. He is also co-founder of hackNY, a nonprofit supporting student innovation and startup internships in New York City. A Fellow of the American Physical Society and recipient of Columbia’s Avanessians Diversity Award, Wiggins is the co-author of the books “How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms” and “Data Science in Context: Foundations, Challenges, Opportunities,” the latter earning the 2024 Prose Award in Computing and Information Sciences.