The Society for Science is thrilled to announce the addition of two highly respected individuals, Lester Mackey and Naomi Shah, to its National Leadership Council (NLC). Established in 2018, the NLC is composed of alumni from the Society’s three science competitions: Science Talent Search, International Science and Engineering Fair, and its middle school science research competitions.
Maya Ajmera, President & CEO of Society for Science and Executive Publisher of Science News, expressed her excitement about the new members joining the NLC. She highlighted their expertise and innovative perspectives as invaluable assets to the organization.
Lester Mackey, a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, has made significant contributions to machine learning methods, models, and theory for large-scale learning tasks related to climate forecasting, healthcare, and social good applications. He received the prestigious 2023 MacArthur Fellowship and is also a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. Lester holds a Ph.D. in computer science and master’s in statistics from UC Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Princeton University.
Naomi Shah is an accomplished entrepreneur who founded Meet Cute, a modern entertainment company that produces and distributes original scripted stories. Prior to launching Meet Cute, she worked in investment teams at Union Square Ventures and Goldman Sachs. Naomi holds a degree in mechanical engineering with a minor in human biology from Stanford University. Meet Cute collaborates with thousands of creators worldwide to produce unique cinematic titles that challenge traditional IP incubation processes and explore new storytelling perspectives.
The addition of these talented individuals will undoubtedly enhance the NLC’s capabilities and provide valuable insights into various scientific fields such as technology and entertainment.
