PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Jennifer Chayes

Also known as Jennifer Tour Chayes, Jennifer T. Chayes

Jennifer Chayes is a UC Berkeley mathematician whose work includes graphons for machine learning on large networks. She earned degrees in biology and physics at Wesleyan and mathematical physics at Princeton, taught mathematics at UCLA, and co-founded Microsoft Research’s Theory Group in 1997. Her research with colleagues examined learning in neural networks with discrete weights in 2016 and used ChatGPT to extract chemistry data in 2023. She received the SIAM John von Neumann Lecture Prize in 2015 and joined the National Academy of Sciences in 2019. Since January 2025, she is serving a second term as dean of Berkeley’s College of Computing, Data Science, and Society; she is also a distinguished professor with professorships in electrical engineering and computer sciences, mathematics, statistics and information.

Works
233
Citations
14,668
h-index
64
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 28 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1979–1983

    Biology, physics and mathematical physics

    She earns a BA in biology and physics at Wesleyan University in 1979 and a PhD in mathematical physics at Princeton University in 1983.

  2. 1987

    Mathematics professor at UCLA

    After postdoctoral work in the mathematics and physics departments at Harvard and Cornell, she becomes a tenured mathematics professor at UCLA in 1987.

  3. 1997

    Microsoft Research Theory Group

    In 1997, she leaves UCLA to co-found the Theory Group at Microsoft Research Redmond.

  4. 2008–2012

    Research labs in two cities

    Chayes co-founds Microsoft Research New England in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2008 and Microsoft Research New York City in 2012. She serves as managing director of both labs.

  5. 2014–2015

    Academy membership and SIAM lecture

    She becomes a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014 and receives the SIAM John von Neumann Lecture Prize in 2015.

  6. 2016

    Learning with discrete weights

    In 2016, she coauthors “Unreasonable Effectiveness of Learning Neural Networks” with Carlo Baldassi, Christian Borgs and colleagues. The paper studies networks with discrete weights and introduces a “robust ensemble” measure that emphasizes dense regions of solutions to guide learning algorithms.

  7. 2019

    National Academy of Sciences

    She becomes a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2019.

  8. January 2020

    Data science leadership at Berkeley

    In January 2020, she joins UC Berkeley as its first permanent associate provost for the Division of Data Science and Information and dean of the School of Information. Before the move, she serves as a Microsoft technical fellow and manages the Microsoft Research labs in New England, New York and Montreal.

  9. 2023

    ChatGPT Chemistry Assistant

    In 2023, she coauthors “ChatGPT Chemistry Assistant for Text Mining and Prediction of MOF Synthesis” with Zhiling Zheng, Oufan Zhang, Christian Borgs and Omar M. Yaghi. The system extracts 26,257 synthesis parameters for about 800 metal-organic frameworks from research articles, providing data for a model that predicts crystallization outcomes.

  10. Since 2025

    Dean and distinguished professor

    In January 2025, she begins a second five-year term as dean of Berkeley’s College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. As of October 2026, she is a distinguished professor with professorships in electrical engineering and computer sciences, mathematics, statistics and the School of Information. Her work includes co-inventing graphons, used for machine learning on large networks, and machine learning theory and applications in cancer immunotherapy, ethical decision making and climate change.

Career

  1. 2025–2029University of California, BerkeleyDean, College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (second term)
  2. NowUniversity of California, BerkeleyDistinguished Professor (EECS, Mathematics, Statistics and School of Information)
  3. Until 2020MicrosoftTechnical Fellow
  4. Until 2020Microsoft ResearchManager of labs in New England, New York and Montreal
  5. From 2020University of California, BerkeleyAssociate Provost
  6. From 2020University of California, BerkeleyDean
  7. From 2012MicrosoftCo-founder
  8. From 2008Microsoft ResearchCo-founder
  9. 2008–2020Microsoft ResearchManaging Director
  10. From 1997MicrosoftCo-founder of Theory Group
  11. 1987–1997University of California, Los AngelesTenured mathematics professor
  12. Harvard UniversityPostdoctoral researcher
  13. Cornell UniversityPostdoctoral researcher
  14. MicrosoftManaging Director

Education

  1. 1983Princeton UniversityPhD in mathematical physics
  2. 1979Wesleyan UniversityBA in biology and physics

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

Checked career sources: eecs.berkeley.edu, blogs.microsoft.com, statistics.berkeley.edu, cdss.berkeley.edu.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Jennifer Chayes yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Jennifer Chayes to be awarded honorary doctorate from Bard College - EECS at Berkeley eecs.berkeley.edu. Checked 28 October 2026.
  2. Jennifer Tour Chayes - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 28 October 2026.
  3. The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Announces Jennifer Tour Chayes as the 2015 John von Neumann Lecturer - Microsoft New England blogs.microsoft.com. Checked 28 October 2026.
  4. Jennifer Chayes | EECS at UC Berkeley www2.eecs.berkeley.edu. Checked 28 October 2026.
  5. [1605.06444] Unreasonable Effectiveness of Learning Neural Networks: From Accessible States and Robust Ensembles to Basic Algorithmic Schemes arxiv.org. Checked 28 October 2026.
  6. UC Berkeley taps Microsoft Research Fellow Jennifer Tour Chayes to lead new data science division | CDSS at UC Berkeley cdss.berkeley.edu. Checked 28 October 2026.
  7. [2306.11296] ChatGPT Chemistry Assistant for Text Mining and Prediction of MOF Synthesis arxiv.org. Checked 28 October 2026.
  8. Jennifer Chayes reappointed as CDSS dean for five-year term | CDSS at UC Berkeley cdss.berkeley.edu. Checked 28 October 2026.
  9. Jennifer Chayes | Department of Statistics statistics.berkeley.edu. Checked 28 October 2026.