PeopleofSuperintelligence

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Elham Tabassi

Elham Tabassi is an electrical engineer whose work connects biometric measurement with AI standards and safety policy. She came to the United States in 1994 for graduate study, joined NIST in 1999, and developed fingerprint-quality work that includes NFIQ. At NIST, she led an AI innovation lab, served on the National AI Research Resource Task Force, and authored the 2023 AI Risk Management Framework. TIME named her to its 2023 list of the 100 most influential people in AI, and NIST announced her as chief technology officer of the United States AI Safety Institute in 2024. As of October 2026, she directs Brookings’ Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative and is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development.

Now at
Brookings Institution
Works
89
Citations
3,745
h-index
23

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.

Photo of Elham Tabassi

Timeline

  1. 1994

    An electrical engineering path

    Born in Iran, she came to the United States in 1994 for graduate study in electrical engineering. She earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Sharif University of Technology and a master's degree in electrical and electronics engineering at Santa Clara University.

  2. 1999

    A laboratory career begins

    She joined NIST in 1999 as a bench scientist, then became chief of staff and associate director for emerging technologies in its Information Technology Laboratory.

  3. 2004–2010

    Measuring fingerprint quality

    She coauthored NIST's 2004 Fingerprint Image Quality report and presented on NFIQ, the institute's fingerprint quality tool, at a 2010 workshop.

  4. 2018–2020

    Building an AI policy program

    In 2018, she led the creation of NIST's AI Innovation Lab and expanded its program into AI standards and policy. In 2020, she received the Washington Academy of Sciences' Excellence in Research in Computer Science Award; she had designed and developed NFIQ, an international standard for fingerprint image quality.

  5. June 2021

    Planning a shared research resource

    She joined the National AI Research Resource Task Force and represented the U.S. government in work to establish and sustain the resource.

  6. January 2023

    A framework for AI risk

    She authored NIST's AI Risk Management Framework 1.0, a voluntary guide to help organizations manage AI risks and promote trustworthy, responsible development.

  7. September 2023–February 2024

    Recognition and safety leadership

    TIME named her to its 2023 list of the 100 most influential people in AI. In February 2024, NIST announced her as chief technology officer of the U.S. AI Safety Institute.

  8. As of October 2026

    A new home for AI policy

    She directs Brookings' Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative and is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development.

Sources and credits

Photo: NIST/Government, via Wikimedia Commons. License: Public domain. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.

  1. Insider Q&A: Small federal agency crafts standards for making AI safe, secure and trustworthy | The Independent independent.co.uk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Elham Tabassi | Brookings brookings.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Fingerprint image quality: | NIST nist.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. IBPC 2010 Presentations | NIST nist.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Elham Tabassi Awarded 2020 Excellence in Research in Computer Science Award | NIST nist.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. Awards Ceremony 2020 | Washington Academy of Sciences washacadsci.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. ITL Chief of Staff Elham Tabassi to serve on newly formed National AI Research Resource Task Force | NIST nist.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  8. National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource | NSF - U.S. National Science Foundation nsf.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  9. Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) | NIST nist.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  10. Time Magazine Recognizes NIST ITL Associate Director of Emerging Technologies, Elham Tabassi, as one of the 100 most influential people in AI | NIST nist.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.
  11. U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium Press Briefing | NIST nist.gov. Checked 14 October 2026.