Business and technologyרגינה ברזילי

Regina Barzilay

Regina Barzilay is an Israeli-American computer scientist and MIT professor known for applying machine learning to language, chemistry and cancer research.

born 1970Natural language processing researchThe Mirai breast cancer prediction systemAI discovery of the antibiotic halicin

Born: 30 September 1970, Chișinău
Occupation: computer scientist, professor
Education: Columbia University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science

Regina Barzilay was born in 1970 in Chișinău

Barzilay was born in Chișinău, Moldova. She emigrated to Israel with her parents.

She earned a bachelor's degree in 1993 and a master's degree in 1998 at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She completed a PhD in computer science at Columbia University in 2003, supervised by Kathleen McKeown. Her doctoral work led to Newsblaster, a system that grouped news stories on the same subject and produced summaries.

After a year as a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University, she joined the MIT faculty in 2003. Her early research focused on natural language processing, including methods that used annotations from English to analyze less studied languages. In 2016 she became Delta Electronics Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

After a breast cancer diagnosis in 2014, she turned to oncology research. With her student Adam Yala and Dr. Connie Lehman, she developed Mirai, an AI system that predicts breast cancer risk up to 5 years ahead from mammograms. In 2018 she became faculty lead for AI at the MIT Jameel Clinic, and in 2020 her team with James J. Collins announced the discovery of the antibiotic halicin through deep learning.

Regina Barzilay's life in 9 milestones

1970
Born in Chișinău, Moldova.
2003
Earned a PhD from Columbia University and joined the MIT faculty.
2014
Was diagnosed with breast cancer and began oncology research.
2016
Appointed Delta Electronics Professor at MIT and won the Jamieson Teaching Award.
2017
Received a MacArthur Fellowship.
2018
Became faculty lead for AI at the MIT Jameel Clinic and an AAAI Fellow.
2020
Her team announced the discovery of the antibiotic halicin, and she became the first recipient of the AAAI Squirrel AI Award.
2023
Elected to the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering.
2025
Received the IEEE Frances E. Allen Medal.