We’re excited to introduce "5 Questions With…", a feature that spotlights the perspectives driving DataX’s interdisciplinary vision. Each brief interview reveals the creativity, commitments, and collaborations that make our data community a place for inquiry, imagination, and impact.

In this issue, we speak with Professor Homa Hosseinmardi, Assistant Professor of Data Science (DataX) and Computational Communication, whose interdisciplinary approach to research opens new ways to interrogate and interpret data—and will soon expand through a new center on cybersafety.

Through collaborative curriculum redesign, PIC and DataX are expanding access to programming, repaving pathways in Python, and preparing students across disciplines to think ethically and creatively in the age of AI. DataX is also supporting the development of PIC North, a new on-ramp for students in the humanities, arts, social-sciences, and professional schools.

DataX has partnered with the Livescu Initiative on Neuro, Narrative & AI (NNAI) to launch Everyday AI, a new seminar series designed to support faculty, students, and researchers navigating the complex field of AI. The first event in November drew an exuberant crowd and set the stage for ongoing interdisciplinary engagement across campus.

We are pleased to announce that, in partnership with the departments of Biostatistics, Mathematics, and Statistics and Data Science, three new assistant professors have joined UCLA and the DataX community. Sijia (Lucy) Li, Yifan Chen, and Drago Plecko, along with continuing Assistant Professor Homa Hosseinmardi (Communication) serve as core faculty for DataX. Their collective research spans statistical methods for data fusion, causal inference for trustworthy data science, the safety and trustworthiness of sociotechnical systems, and the intersection of applied and computational mathematics. 

A collaboration with UCLA Design Media Arts’ Social Software enabled precollege students to examine the social impact and possibilities of “making” with software. 

Dr. Homa Hosseinmardi examines how recommender algorithms might push people toward problematic content and why it matters.

Date

December 3, 2025

Time

12 pm: Lunch

12:30 pm: Research Talk, Q&A

Where

DataX Impact Forum

3312 Murphy Hall

Jacqueline Alderson Joins UCLA DataX as Director of Tech and Human Performance

Professor Jacqueline Alderson, renowned scientist and tech innovator, has joined UCLA DataX as Director of Tech and Human Performance, and Special Advisor for the Los Angeles Olympics, LA28.

Our most shared Instagram post. Read about the DataX Policy Hackathon.