Center of Interdisciplinary Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CIDSAI)

The Center for Interdisciplinary Data Science and AI (CIDSAI) at NYU Abu Dhabi is a cross‑disciplinary hub where mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, and social scientists join forces to push the boundaries of data‑driven discovery.  Our mission is two‑fold: to advance fundamental theory in probability and machine learning, and to translate those breakthroughs into high‑impact tools that serve the UAE, the wider Arab world, and global society. CIDSAI’s work spans the full research spectrum, from theoretical and algorithmic considerations, through enabling technologies such as Arabic natural‑language processing, computer vision, and multimodal technology, to transformative applications in healthcare, digital culture, personalized education, economics, and computational social science. 

Research Clusters

Research is organized into four strongly connected clusters: Foundations of Data Science and AI, Enabling Technologies, Data‑Science Applications, and Bias, Ethics,  and Privacy. These clusters form a continuous feedback loop: theory guides algorithm design, enabling technologies to power real‑world pilots, and practical challenges inspire new theory.

Center Objectives

• Bring together experts from different fields to create a team that works together on data science, artificial intelligence, and related areas.
• Create AI and data tools to solve problems in the Arab world, especially in the UAE.
• Build strong partnerships with government and businesses in the UAE and MENA. 
• Hold seminars, workshops, and global conferences to make NYU Abu Dhabi and CIDSAI known in the world of data science.
• Support undergraduate and graduate programs in data science and AI, bringing top students and offering research internships.
• Work closely with NYU's Center of Data Science in New York and the Data Science Department at NYU Shanghai, representing NYU Abu Dhabi in NYU Global Network’s Data Science initiative.