The Data Science Institute invites proposals for working groups exploring some aspect of data science, machine learning, AI, and their intersection with other disciplines. These groups can be any form of discussion, reading, or working group. We hope these groups will help the community identify and explore areas of common interest and encourage interaction in a low-stress atmosphere. We also hope these groups will give trainees the opportunity to lead and chart their own learning.
Start a Data Science / Machine Learning / AI Working Group:
Requirements
- At least three committed individual participants (Reading groups can include any combination of faculty, grad students, and undergrads, though undergraduate students will not be eligible for research funds. Staff members can also submit proposals so long as at least one faculty or grad student has committed to participate).
- At least two participants should be from different Departments/disciplines to encourage interdisciplinarity.
- At least one meeting per month (four meetings over the course of the spring semester; can go into the summer).
- At least one member of your group will come to share insights from your discussion at a lunch panel event on May 12, 2026.
We strongly encourage groups to be of broad interest and to be open to the larger Brown community.
Group leaders should submit our working group proposal form by Monday, February 23 for our review.
If your proposed plan is accepted, the faculty or grad student organizer will receive $500 in research funds, which should be used toward working group events, including potentially inviting a speaker.
DSI can provide gathering spaces for these working groups. Contact Sabrina Boyk (sabrina_boyk@brown.ed) to book spaces at DSI.
Please contact dsi-info@brown.edu for any questions about this program.
If you have an idea for a working group but don't have enough participants yet, you can submit the above form with your proposed group, and we will list your group on our open working groups sheet so interested participants can find you. You can then update your submission to this form when you have enough participants.
Join an existing working group:
The following reading groups are actively looking for additional members. Please contact group leaders directly to join a group.