Tim Weninger, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, has been selected as a member of the U.S. Defense Science Study Group (DSSG) class of 2027–28.
The DSSG is a highly selective program of education and study that introduces outstanding science and engineering professors to the United States’ security challenges and encourages them to apply their talents to these issues. The program, established in 1986, is directed by the nonprofit Institute for Defense Analyses and is sponsored by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology.
Weninger’s research is broadly focused on artificial intelligence, with a particular interest in how humans interact with AI systems online or in collaborative spaces.
“Because my work focuses on how people, machines, and AI systems interact at scale—especially how humans and information systems coordinate and make decisions—the Defense Science Study Group is an excellent opportunity to bring that perspective into conversation with broader scientific and technical challenges facing the country,” Weninger said.
Weninger and his 17 colleagues in the new DSSG class will meet eight times over the next two years. Sessions will focus on defense policy, related research and development, and the systems, missions, and operations of the armed forces and the intelligence community. As a culmination of their experience in the program, either individually or in small groups, members will write “think pieces” on various issues.
“I’m grateful to have been selected to participate in this newest DSSG class,” continues Weninger, “and thankful to Notre Dame for the nomination. I am excited for the opportunity to learn from leaders across the defense, science and engineering communities. At its best, university research helps society understand and respond to difficult problems. DSSG represents that ideal: scholarship brought into service of the nation.”
Weninger received his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013 and joined the Notre Dame faculty that same year.
He has served as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than $4.31 million in federally sponsored research projects, including support from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Army Research Office, the Department of State, the Department of Energy, and the National Science Foundation.
Weninger is a frequent commentator in the national and international media, including the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, the BBC and others.
At Notre Dame, he is an affiliate of the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, the Pulte Institute for Global Development, the Notre Dame-IBM Technology Ethics Lab and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
—Mary Hendriksen, Notre Dame Engineering