Ilkay Altintas

Dr. Ilkay Altintas earned the moniker “Lady of Fire” for her groundbreaking work using real-time data to predict and contain wildfires. However, as Chief Data Science Officer of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, it’s hardly the first thing she’s set ablaze as at UCSD, Ilkay is Chief Data Science Officer of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, and Founder and Director of the Workflows for Data Science (WoRDs) Center. Ilkay’s research has performed drug testing simulations to isolate genes to fight cancer, created tools being used to build the world’s first commercial-scale fusion reactor, and designed modular workflows to analyze the human biome. She is a scientist’s scientist - her innovation accelerates the process of discovery for others. Ilkay is also an educator, teaching the next generation of big data experts as a Fellow at the Halicioglu Data Science Institute and breaking sign-up records with her Big Data Specialization MOOC course for learners worldwide. She faces her toughest students however when she testifies before Members of Congress, providing instruction on the impact and value of a national investment in science.