Sham Kakade
Also known as Sham M. Kakade
Sham Kakade works on the mathematical foundations of machine learning and AI, with posts in computer science and statistics at Harvard. His doctoral thesis at University College London helps lay the statistical foundations of reinforcement learning. A 2020 ICML Test of Time Award recognizes his bandit work, and a 2025 ICML Outstanding Paper Award goes to a masked diffusion paper he co-wrote. He joins Harvard in 2022 after posts at the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, Microsoft Research and the University of Washington. As of October 2026, he co-directs the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence.
- Now at
- Harvard University
- Works
- 306
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026. Citations and h-index are hidden because this OpenAlex record may be incomplete or mix in other authors.
Timeline
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By 2012
A doctorate at the Gatsby Unit
He holds a PhD from the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at University College London, after a physics degree at Caltech. His thesis helps lay the statistical foundations of reinforcement learning.
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2012
At Microsoft Research New England
In 2012 he is a member of Microsoft Research New England in Cambridge, MA. Earlier posts include an assistant professorship at the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago and an associate professorship in the Department of Statistics at the University of Pennsylvania.
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2015
Data science chair at UW
In May 2015 the University of Washington announces that he will join as the holder of a Washington Research Foundation Data Science Chair, with joint appointments in computer science and engineering and in statistics.
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2020
A Test of Time Award
ICML gives its 2020 Test of Time Award to Gaussian Process Optimization in the Bandit Settings: No Regret and Experimental Design. The award recognizes his mathematical work on linear and Gaussian process bandit models.
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2022
Joining the Harvard faculty
He joins the Harvard faculty in 2022 as Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science, with a joint appointment in the Department of Statistics.
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2023
Co-leading an NSF AI institute
In May 2023, as Kempner Institute co-director, he helps lead an effort on autonomous decision-making tools for disaster and public health management. The effort sits within the NSF-funded AI Institute for Societal Decision Making.
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2025
An ICML 2025 Outstanding Paper
At ICML 2025 he shares an Outstanding Paper Award for a paper on token ordering in masked diffusion models, written with Jaeyeon Kim, Kulin Shah, Vasilis Kontonis and Sitan Chen.
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As of October 2026
Co-directing the Kempner Institute
He is the Rampell Family Professor of Computer Science and Professor of Statistics at Harvard, and he co-directs the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence. His work covers the mathematical foundations of machine learning and AI.
Sources and credits
Photo: shamulent.github.io; Sham M. Kakade; creator not stated. License: Not stated by source. Source: shamulent.github.io. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.
- MIT ORC - Seminars - Fall 2012
- Seven join Harvard computer science faculty
- Sham Kakade - Kempner Institute
- Allen School News Archive » Sham Kakade joins UW Computer Science & Engineering and Statistics
- ICML 2020 Awards
- Kakade to Co-Lead Autonomous Decision Research at New NSF AI Institute - Kempner Institute
- ICML 2025 Awards
- Sham Kakade | Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences