Congratulations to Prof. Shehu for winning the Presidential Award -- the 2021 Beck Family Medal for Excellence in Research and Scholarship.
In Mason’s Department of Computer Science since 2008, Shehu’s research bridges the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the biological sciences. As one of the founders and co-directors of the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnerships, she uses computer science to promote scientific discoveries in other fields, with application to real-world problems. She has developed algorithmic frameworks that shed new light on the molecular dynamics behind the mutations that lead to biological disorders, such as cancer, cardiomyopathy, and, most recently, COVID-19. Her honors at Mason include the OSCAR Mentoring Excellence Award; the Emerging Researcher, Scholar, Creator Award; and the Teaching Excellence Award. She serves as a program director in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation.