Data science and AI have enormous potential to empower communities, address important societal questions and drive positive change.
The Data Sciences Institute (DSI) Summer Undergraduate Data Science (SUDS) Opportunities Program has supported a number of projects focused on advancing the social good. Through partnerships and faculty-led research projects pursuing topics such as the impact of speed enforcement on road safety disparities, the effect of built environment factors on breast cancer risk, and the economic benefits of green cities, students gain hands-on experience while participating in training and professional development.
We are very pleased for the generous support of Birch Hill Data Science to launch the Data Science and AI for Social Good stream and create opportunities for our students.
Now, thanks to the support of Birch Hill Equity Partners Data Science, DSI is building on this momentum by launching the SUDS Data Science & AI for Social Good stream. This new stream will expand opportunities for undergraduate students to work with U of T’s leading data scientists and AI researchers on projects addressing important societal questions.
We are very pleased for the generous support of Birch Hill Data Science to launch the Data Science and AI for Social Good stream and create opportunities for our students.
The Data Science and AI for Social Good stream will support four research projects in 2027. A call for faculty members and principal investigators who may have a position available will open in September.
Birch Hill Data Science is committed to advancing socially impactful data science and training the next generation of data science talent. With Birch Hill Data Science’s support, the range of projects that apply data science and AI tools and practices to further social good will continue to expand. The new stream aims to create new opportunities for the work of non-profits and agencies and for the communities they serve, for example, by supporting the use of data science and AI in health research to improve treatment and lives.
“We see tremendous potential in bringing together academic expertise, emerging talent, and organizations working to address societal challenges,” says Birch Hill Data Science managing director Gary Glasser. “Supporting this initiative is an opportunity to help unlock the power of data science and AI for real-world impact.”
SUDS enables undergraduate students who are interested in exploring data science and AI as a career path to engage in hands-on research led by U of T faculty and scientists from external funding partners, including SickKids, CAMH and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Now in its fifth summer, SUDS has supported more than 200 research projects, each led by a faculty supervisor, enabling more than 300 undergraduate students to gain research experience in data science and AI.
“One of the most exciting parts of supervising a SUDS project is seeing undergraduate students contribute meaningfully to a complex challenge that impacts the world around them. It is wonderful to see this expand with even more opportunities for students to bring their strong data science skills while learning about ways that their research careers can create positive change,” says Professor Brice Batomen Kuimi, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, supervisor for a SUDS project investigating road safety disparities.
Lisa Strug, director of the Data Sciences Institute, highlights that Birch Hill Data Science’s generous support is an important development in DSI’s work to accelerate the impact of data sciences. “Data science and AI have enormous potential to address societal challenges, but many organizations lack the capacity to fully leverage these tools. We are very pleased for the generous support of Birch Hill Data Science to launch the Data Science and AI for Social Good stream and create opportunities for our students to apply their expertise working to make a meaningful difference in their communities.”