PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Peter Frazier

Peter Frazier is an operations researcher whose knowledge-gradient policy helps scientists choose which costly, noisy experiments to run in Bayesian optimization. He earned degrees in physics and engineering at Caltech and in operations research at Princeton, then joined Cornell's faculty in 2009. From 2015 to 2024, he worked as a scientist at Uber on pricing. In 2020, his team's models helped shape Cornell's COVID-19 testing strategy, part of a testing program that continued through 2023. As of October 2026, he is Cornell's Eleanor and Howard Morgan Professor and an associate director of its AI Materials Institute; he also leads Saddlepoint Labs as CEO, where AI supports more reproducible experiments.

Now at
Cornell University and Saddlepoint Labs
Works
209
Citations
7,302
h-index
37
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 27 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 2000

    A Caltech degree

    He earns a B.S. in physics and engineering/applied science at Caltech in 2000.

  2. 2007–2009

    Graduate degrees at Princeton

    He earns an M.A. in 2007 and a Ph.D. in 2009 in Princeton's Department of Operations Research & Financial Engineering.

  3. 2009

    Joining Cornell's ORIE faculty

    In 2009, he joins Cornell's School of Operations Research & Information Engineering as an assistant professor. His research addresses sequential decision-making under uncertainty, information collection and machine learning.

  4. 2009

    The knowledge-gradient policy

    He coauthors the knowledge-gradient policy with Warren Powell and Savas Dayanik in 2009. The method gathers information about a black-box objective under costly, noisy measurements and serves as an acquisition function in Bayesian optimization.

  5. 2012

    An NSF CAREER Award

    In 2012, he receives the NSF CAREER Award for a proposal on optimization via simulation that connects Bayesian methods, frequentist guarantees and cardiovascular medicine.

  6. 2015–2024

    Pricing research at Uber

    From 2015 to 2024, he works as a scientist at Uber and contributes to its pricing efforts.

  7. 2020–2023

    Modeling Cornell's pandemic response

    In 2020, his team's models help shape Cornell's campus COVID-19 testing strategy. His work on large-scale testing helps the university stay open through 2023.

  8. Since 2024

    AI for reproducible experiments

    Since 2024, he works with Saddlepoint Labs to use AI to improve the reproducibility of medical tests and wet-lab experiments.

  9. 2025

    A Test of Time Award

    In 2025, he wins the Test of Time Award for his 2009 paper on the knowledge gradient for correlated beliefs.

  10. As of October 2026

    Cornell and AI-MI leadership

    As of October 2026, he is Cornell's Eleanor and Howard Morgan Professor of Engineering and an associate director of the AI Materials Institute. At Saddlepoint Labs, he is a co-founder and CEO, applying AI to experimental data collection in chemistry and life sciences.

Career

  1. Since 2024Saddlepoint LabsCo-founder and CEO, Researcher
  2. NowCornell UniversityEleanor and Howard Morgan Professor of Engineering, Associate Director of the AI Materials Institute
  3. 2015–2024UberScientist

Education

  1. 2009Princeton UniversityPh.D.
  2. 2007Princeton UniversityM.A.
  3. 2000California Institute of TechnologyB.S.

From the biography.

Checked career sources: aimi.cornell.edu, people.orie.cornell.edu.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Peter Frazier | Cornell Duffield Engineering duffield.cornell.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  2. The Knowledge Gradient | Sequential Decision Analytics warrenpowell.org. Checked 27 October 2026.
  3. Peter Frazier people.orie.cornell.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  4. Data, testing helped Cornell curb COVID-19 | Cornell Chronicle news.cornell.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.
  5. Saddlepoint Labs saddlepointlabs.com. Checked 27 October 2026.
  6. Team - The Artificial Intelligence Materials Institute aimi.cornell.edu. Checked 27 October 2026.