David Danks

David Danks works on AI ethics, computational cognition, and causal discovery. He earned an A.B. in philosophy from Princeton, an M.A. in 1999, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from UC San Diego in 2001, then joined Carnegie Mellon’s faculty in 2003. His 2014 book Unifying the Mind presents cognitive representations through graphical models. He joined UC San Diego in July 2021, began a three-year term on the National AI Advisory Committee in April 2022, and explored AI for brain research and emergency triage in May 2025. He is a distinguished professor of philosophy, artificial intelligence, and data science at UVA, and his team received a 2026 fellowship for AI and managerial moral responsibility.

Now at: University of Amsterdam and University of Virginia
Works: 200
Citations: 4,568
h-index: 28
Badges: Wayfarer
Loyal

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 19 October 2026.

Timeline

1999–2001

Princeton and UC San Diego

He earns an A.B. in philosophy from Princeton, an M.A. in 1999, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from UC San Diego in 2001.
2003

Joining Carnegie Mellon

He joins Carnegie Mellon’s faculty in 2003 and works in computational cognitive science, studying cognitive representations and how goals shape learning and reasoning.
2008

A James S. McDonnell Award

He receives the James S. McDonnell Foundation Scholar Award in 2008 for work on cognition, concepts, and decision-making.
2014

Leading CMU Philosophy

In July 2014, he becomes head of CMU’s Department of Philosophy. In 2014, he publishes Unifying the Mind: Cognitive Representations as Graphical Models, a book that presents a cognitive architecture based on graphical models for explaining human thought.
July 2021

Moving to UC San Diego

He joins UC San Diego in July 2021 as Professor of Data Science and Philosophy, with a joint appointment at the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute and the School of Arts and Humanities. His research includes methods to discover causal structure from data and questions about the ethical use of data.
April 2022

Advising on national AI

In April 2022, he begins a three-year term as an inaugural member of the National AI Advisory Committee, which advises the President and the National AI Initiative Office on artificial intelligence in the United States.
May 2025

AI for brain research and triage

In May 2025, he explores AI for identifying brain mechanisms linked to schizophrenia and supporting emergency triage. His role focuses on ethical and policy questions in decisions involving human values.
Since January 2026

A professorship at UVA

In January 2026, he joins UVA as the William L. Polk Jr. and Carolyn K. Polk Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Science, with an appointment in the Department of Philosophy. His work spans AI ethics, computational cognition, and causal discovery. In February 2026, his team receives a Fellowship in AI Research for “AI and Managerial Moral Responsibility.”