Dr. Amarda Shehu is a Professor of Computer Science, Associate Dean for Research, and Vice President and Chief AI Officer at George Mason University. In these roles, she leads Mason’s institution-wide AI strategy spanning research, education, workforce development, and external partnerships. She previously directed the Institute for Digital Innovation and has launched multiple transdisciplinary centers to accelerate cross-campus collaboration and translation.
Shehu is also the primary architect of Mason’s AI education and literacy pipeline, including the university’s new M.S. in Artificial Intelligence degree and the general-education “AI for All” course. She chairs the university’s AI-in-Government Council, convening academia, industry, and public agencies to advance responsible, mission-driven AI adoption. Her national service includes prior work as an NSF Program Director in the CISE Directorate (2019–2022), and she continues to help shape AI, biosecurity, and innovation agendas across academia, government, and industry.
An active AI researcher, Shehu has published over 200 papers with students and collaborators, sustaining a long-running research program at the intersection of AI and molecular biology that pioneers probabilistic, machine learning, and generative methods for protein science, genomics, and molecular design. Her contributions have been recognized through multiple awards for research, education, mentorship, and service, and by professional honors including election as a 2022 Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, IEEE Senior Member status, and membership in the Virginia Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Meet our Advising Board member Amarda Shehu
