James Weis

James Weis' research is focused on combining artificial intelligence and network science to help design new models for funding technology research and entrepreneurship. His recent work includes developing large-scale, AI-based methods to predict, and then allocate resources across, the most impactful areas of scientific research and development, and he has published peer reviewed research in fields ranging from synthetic biology and computational bioengineering to technology transfer and hackathon design.

Outside of research, James co-teaches MIT Revolutionary Ventures and runs Nest.Bio, a biotechnology and life sciences incubator and shared laboratory community. He is also founder of the MIT Alumni Life Science Angels and founding president of the MIT Biotech Group, and was previously a quantitative trader in New York City.

James received his Ph.D. from the MIT Media Lab for his work designing new, data-driven approaches to predict scientific impact. He is also a graduate of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, where he received his S.M. for designing machine learning algorithms to engineer next-generation biocatalysts, and of Brown University’s Computer Science Department, where he graduated with highest Latin and departmental honors.