Chris Wiggins
Chris Wiggins is an applied mathematician whose machine-learning work reaches from gene-regulatory networks to newsroom data. He coauthored ARACNE, co-founded hackNY, and joined The New York Times as chief data scientist. With collaborators, he wrote two books about data, one of which won the 2024 PROSE Award for Computing and Information Sciences. As of October 2026, he leads machine learning and AI science at CNN, advises Columbia College on AI strategy, and is an associate professor of applied mathematics and systems biology at Columbia.
Timeline
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1993–2001
Physics at Princeton and NYU
At Princeton, he studies theoretical physics from 1993 to 1998 and earns a PhD; from 1998 to 2001, he works as a Courant Instructor at NYU.
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2006
The ARACNE algorithm
Using microarray expression profiles, he coauthors ARACNE, an information-theoretic algorithm that reconstructs transcriptional networks in mammalian cells.
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2010
Co-founding hackNY
He co-founds hackNY in 2010 with Evan Korth and Hilary Mason, an initiative whose mission is to build a community of student technologists.
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2014
Chief data scientist at the Times
He joins The New York Times as chief data scientist in 2014; in 2020, he emphasizes communication when turning real-world questions into machine-learning tasks.
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2022
Data Science in Context
At The New York Times, his data science group develops and deploys machine-learning solutions for newsroom and business problems. In 2022, he coauthors Data Science in Context with Alfred Z. Spector, Peter Norvig, and Jeannette M. Wing.
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2023
Writing How Data Happened
With Matthew L. Jones, he coauthors How Data Happened, a 2023 book tracing the political and governmental history of data.
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2024
A PROSE Award
Data Science in Context wins the 2024 PROSE Award for Computing and Information Sciences; Wiggins is among its four authors.
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Since April 2026
Leading AI at CNN
He is an associate professor of applied mathematics and systems biology at Columbia, and Columbia College names him Adviser to the Dean for AI Strategy in 2026. Since April 2026, he leads machine learning and AI science at CNN.
Career
- Since 2026Columbia UniversityAssociate Professor of Applied Mathematics and Systems Biology
- Since 2026Cable News NetworkLead, Machine Learning and AI Science
- From 2014The New York TimesChief Data Scientist
- From 2010hackNYCo-founder
- 1998–2001New York UniversityCourant Instructor
Education
- 1998Princeton UniversityPhD
Most-cited works
- ARACNE: An Algorithm for the Reconstruction of Gene Regulatory Networks in a Mammalian Cellular Context
- Learning Rates and States from Biophysical Time Series: A Bayesian Approach to Model Selection and Single-Molecule FRET Data
- Opposing Effects of PKCθ and WASp on Symmetry Breaking and Relocation of the Immunological Synapse
- Nonmuscle Myosin IIA-Dependent Force Inhibits Cell Spreading and Drives F-Actin Flow
- Bayesian Approach to Network Modularity
Colleagues
Sources and credits
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- Data Science at The New York Times
- ARACNE: An algorithm for the reconstruction of gene regulatory networks in a mammalian cellular context
- History of hackNY
- New York Times Data Scientist Tells Students to Prioritize Client Communications
- Data Science in Context | Cambridge Core
- Data Studies Books | Data Studies Bibliography
- 2024 Award Winners | PROSE Awards
- CNN Hires New York Times Chief Data Scientist Chris Wiggins to Head AI Team
- Chris Wiggins CC’93 Lends His Expertise as AI Adviser | Columbia College
- About | hackNY