University, Canada
Western University
Statistics
- People here now
- 6
- People ever
- 20
- Citations of current people
- 25,946
- Median h-index of current people
- 49.5
- Full moves in and out
- 7 in, 4 out
Our research follows 7,547 researchers, builders, lab leaders and public voices through cited biographies. Missing career records can lower counts. Outdated roles can overstate current counts and change ranks. Citation figures count 2 of the 6 people here now. People whose OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mixed are left out. Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026. Career and profile data as of 22 October 2026.
We estimate that 20 people shaping AI have worked or studied at Western University, including 6 (30%) here now and 14 with former affiliations. That total covers 12 people with work roles and 8 recorded only as students (2 both studied and worked here). Among 3,127 universities, the group is tied for 156th on current people and tied for 210th on all-time people. Science, health and biology leads 10 areas of expertise (4 of 20 people with profile topics), and researchers make up 6 of the 6 people here now (100%). In dated work stints through 2025, active headcount rose from 3 in 1987 to 5 people in 2019–2025. Across dated career transitions, we record 7 full moves in and 4 out, led by arrivals from Vector Institute (2).
A cluster map with one dot per person in 10 groups. The largest areas are Science, health and biology (4), Robotics and autonomous systems (3) and Policy, ethics and society (3). The data table lists the counts.
Source: People of Superintelligence career records and profile topics, as of 22 October 2026.
Data table
| Area | Here now | Formerly here | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science, health and biology | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Robotics and autonomous systems | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Policy, ethics and society | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Cognitive science and neuroscience | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Language and speech | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Reinforcement learning, agents and planning | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Safety, alignment and evaluation | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Theory, statistics and optimization | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Systems, hardware and security | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| General machine learning | 1 | 0 | 1 |
A summary of current people at Western University. It shows roles, affiliations, profile topics and birth countries known for 0 people. No birth years are recorded.
Role categories
- Research6
Current affiliations
- Western University6
Top profile topics
- ai for science1
- ai metacognition1
- ai policy1
- ai safety1
- bayesian deep learning1
Birth countries
Known for 0 of 6 people now.
No birth countries are recorded.
Median birth year
No known birth years
Source: People of Superintelligence profiles, current career records and recorded birthplaces, as of 22 October 2026.
Data table
| Measure | Value | People |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Research | 6 |
| Current affiliation | Western University | 6 |
| Profile topic | ai for science | 1 |
| Profile topic | ai metacognition | 1 |
| Profile topic | ai policy | 1 |
| Profile topic | ai safety | 1 |
| Profile topic | bayesian deep learning | 1 |
| Birth country coverage | 0 of 6 people now | 0 |
| Median birth year | No known years | 0 |
The annual headcount series runs through 2025 (5 active work stints); the 6 people here now also include 1 whose current role has no recorded start year. Full arrivals outnumbered full departures by 3 (7 in vs. 4 out): arrivals came 5 from universities (71%) and 2 from labs, nonprofits or government, while departures went 4 to universities (100%). We also record 4 arrivals and 7 departures where a person added a role alongside an existing position. Today, 11 of the 14 people formerly at Western University have a recorded current affiliation elsewhere (3 at companies, 7 at universities and 1 at a lab, nonprofit or government body).
A stacked column chart of our yearly estimates at Western University from 1987 to 2025. Each person counts once in each year with an active work stint.
Source: People of Superintelligence dated career stints, as of 22 October 2026.
Data table
| Year | Other | People |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 3 | 3 |
| 1988 | 3 | 3 |
| 1989 | 3 | 3 |
| 1990 | 2 | 2 |
| 1991 | 2 | 2 |
| 1992 | 2 | 2 |
| 1993 | 2 | 2 |
| 1994 | 2 | 2 |
| 1995 | 1 | 1 |
| 1996 | 2 | 2 |
| 1997 | 2 | 2 |
| 1998 | 2 | 2 |
| 1999 | 2 | 2 |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 |
| 2004 | 2 | 2 |
| 2005 | 2 | 2 |
| 2006 | 3 | 3 |
| 2007 | 3 | 3 |
| 2008 | 3 | 3 |
| 2009 | 3 | 3 |
| 2010 | 4 | 4 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 |
| 2012 | 3 | 3 |
| 2013 | 3 | 3 |
| 2014 | 3 | 3 |
| 2015 | 3 | 3 |
| 2016 | 4 | 4 |
| 2017 | 3 | 3 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4 |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 |
| 2022 | 5 | 5 |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 |
| 2025 | 5 | 5 |
A three-column flow diagram. People came from organizations on the left, Western University is in the middle, and destinations are on the right. It shows 7 incoming and 4 outgoing full moves.
Source: People of Superintelligence career records with full moves only, as of 22 October 2026.
Data table
| Direction | Organization | Full moves |
|---|---|---|
| From | Vector Institute | 2 |
| From | Acadia University | 1 |
| From | Franklin & Marshall College | 1 |
| From | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1 |
| From | Shandong University | 1 |
| From | University of Saskatchewan | 1 |
| Center | Western University | 7 in, 4 out |
| To | KU Leuven | 1 |
| To | Stanford University | 1 |
| To | University at Buffalo, State University of New York | 1 |
| To | University of California, Berkeley | 1 |
A list of people who joined or left Western University from 2023 through 2026, with the year and move type.
Joined
- Dan Lizotte 2026 · from Vector Institute · Full move
- Agustinus Kristiadi 2025 · from Vector Institute · Full move
Left
- Mark Daley 2024 · to Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada · Alongside an existing role
Source: People of Superintelligence career moves, as of 22 October 2026.
Data table
| Year | Person | Direction | Other organization | Move type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Dan Lizotte | Joined | Vector Institute | Full move |
| 2025 | Agustinus Kristiadi | Joined | Vector Institute | Full move |
| 2024 | Mark Daley | Left | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Alongside an existing role |
Compared with peer universities, Western University ranks higher on current headcount (tied for 156th of 3,127) than on all-time headcount (tied for 210th); 6 of its 20 all-time people (30%) hold a current role here. Across work histories (excluding degrees), 12 of the 12 people who have worked at Western University (100%) also held a work role at another organization, connecting Western University to 132 peer institutions. Among the 2 current people with confident OpenAlex author records, combined citations reach 25,946 and the median h-index is 49.5 (combined h-index 99, tied for 319th among 860 counted universities); Aaron Fenster leads by citations (20,083).
A table compares Western University with 8827 organizations and 3127 organizations of the same type for current people, people ever and combined h-index where available.
People now
6 people
People ever
20 people
Combined h-index of people now
99 across 2 people
Source: People of Superintelligence organization membership and confident OpenAlex statistics, as of 22 October 2026.
Data table
| Measure | Value | All organizations | Same type |
|---|---|---|---|
| People now | 6 | tied for 233rd of 8,827 | tied for 156th of 3,127 |
| People ever | 20 | tied for 298th of 8,827 | tied for 210th of 3,127 |
| Combined h-index of people now | 99 (2 people) | tied for 470th of 1,834 | tied for 319th of 860 |
People here now
All 6 people with a current role at Western University are researchers. Earlier in their careers, 6 of the 6 held a work role at another organization, most often at Vector Institute (2). 1 of the 6 current people also earned a degree at Western University. 3 current people also hold a concurrent affiliation outside Western University.
People with former affiliations
We record 14 people with former affiliations at Western University: 6 who held work roles and 8 recorded as students only. 11 of the 14 have a recorded current role at another organization. Across the 8 former people with confident OpenAlex records, combined career citations total 62,335 (median h-index 24.5).
- Aimee van WynsbergheNow at University of Bonn
- Ayesha AliNow at University of Guelph and Vector Institute
- Brit Cruise
- Di WangNow at Computer, Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division
- Edward StablerNow at University of California, Los Angeles
- Hans MoravecNow at Carnegie Mellon University and Seegrid Corporation
- Ian Kerr
- Ivar MendezNow at Virtual Health Hub
- Luca AntigaNow at Domyn
- Peter GerstoftNow at Technical University of Denmark and University of California, San Diego
- Qi ZhangNow at Microsoft
- Rahaf HarfoushNow at Red Thread Institute of Digital Culture
- Shuo LiNow at Case Western Reserve University
- Zenon W. Pylyshyn
Posts that include Western University
Western University appears in 3 research posts comparing organizations across AI.
- More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionWe estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
- The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
- The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.