The Society of Multivariate Behavioral Research (SMEP) has awarded UCLA professor emeritus of computer science Judea Pearl the 2017 Sells Award for Distinguished Multivariate Research, which recognizes an individual who has made distinguished lifetime contributions to multivariate analysis in psychology.
This award represents the highest honor bestowed by the society in the field of behavioral research. Pearl will accept the award and deliver an address at the organization’s October 2017 meeting in Minneapolis.
A pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence and a faculty member at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, Pearl is the creator of a computational foundation for processing information under uncertainty, a core problem faced by intelligent systems.
He has developed methods that enable machines to reason about actions and observations, and to assess cause-effect relationships from empirical findings. His work serves applications in many areas, ranging from medical diagnosis to homeland security.
His many honors include the A.M. Turing Award, known as the Nobel Prize for computer science. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
He is also president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, named in honor of his son.
The award he'll receive is named for Saul B. Sells, a founder and an early SMEP president, who provided a generous gift that is used to fund this award.
