Aaron Roth

Aaron Roth is a researcher in data privacy and algorithmic fairness. Roth holds the Henry Salvatori Professorship in Computer and Cognitive Science at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at the Wharton School. He serves as co-director of the Networked and Social Systems Engineering program. Roth earned a bachelor's degree in computer science from Columbia University and a doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University. He completed postdoctoral research at Microsoft Research New England before joining the University of Pennsylvania faculty.

Roth's research focuses on differential privacy, algorithmic fairness, machine learning under uncertainty, and algorithmic game theory. His work on differential privacy provides a framework for releasing statistical information from sensitive datasets while protecting individual privacy, with applications for companies such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Roth has contributed foundational theoretical advances in private data analysis mechanisms and bias mitigation in algorithms used for decision-making in areas including criminal justice risk assessment.

Roth is the author of two books: "The Algorithmic Foundations of Differential Privacy," co-authored with Cynthia Dwork, and "The Ethical Algorithm," co-authored with Michael Kearns. "The Ethical Algorithm" presents approaches for embedding human principles into machine learning systems and received the American Association of American Publishers PROSE Award in the Computer and Information Sciences category.

Roth has received the Hans Sigrist Prize, a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, an NSF CAREER award, and research awards from Yahoo, Amazon, and Google. He was selected for the Heilmeier Faculty Award for Excellence in Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Roth's scholarly publications have accumulated more than 35,000 citations, reflecting his influence in computer science, artificial intelligence, and data ethics.

Roth is a speaker and commentator on technology, ethics, and society. His George H. Heilmeier Faculty Award Lecture at the University of Pennsylvania examined the interpretation and use of AI-generated predictions, focusing on calibration and its role in decision-making. He has delivered invited keynotes at venues including the NSF/Amazon Fairness in AI PI Meeting and the AAAI Workshop on Privacy-Preserving Artificial Intelligence, and has participated in panels on algorithmic fairness and the societal implications of AI. Roth has also contributed to advisory and consulting work related to differential privacy, algorithmic fairness, and machine learning for organizations including Apple and Facebook.