Rumman Chowdhury

Dr. Rumman Chowdhury is a California-based data scientist known for her research and contributions to developing artificial intelligence (AI) that is ethical and responsible to humanity.

Chowdhury grew up in Rockland County, New York, and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to study for her bachelor's degree in political science and management science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She earned her degree in 2003, and in 2005, Chowdhury started attending Columbia University to study for her master's degree in quantitative methods, which she earned in 2006. She then attended the University of California (UC), San Diego, and earned her PhD in political science and government in 2014.

Chowdhury started her career working in economics as an analyst. She has spent much of her career as a consultant with expertise in developing analytical initiatives to produce insights into more equitable processes and organizations. From 2011 until 2013, she was a graduate assistant at UC San Diego while earning her PhD.

In 2014, Chowdhury started working with technology start-ups as a data scientist in a leadership capacity. She worked for companies such as Quotient Technology, Metis, Accenture AI, Twitter (X), and Creative Destruction Lab.

Chowdhury Speaking at a TED Talk

In 2020, Chowdhury founded her first company, Parity AI, where she also served as CEO. In 2022, she cofounded nonprofits Bias Buccaneers and Humane Intelligence, the former of which is an organization for algorithmic bias bounties. As of 2023, she is the chief scientist and runs Parity Consulting, a consulting firm that creates processes to discover responsible AI practices. She is also a cofounder and partner at Parity Responsible Innovation venture capital fund.

Chowdhury holds several board positions, including the University of Oxford’s Commission on AI and Governance, the UK’s Center for Data Ethics and Governance, AI4All, the SSRC’s Just Tech Advisory Group, the University of Virginia’s Data Science Program, and Patterns.