Montreal, March 28, 2025 - Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, announces that Professor Yoshua Bengio will now hold a newly created position of Founder and Scientific Advisor within the organization's leadership and that Professor Laurent Charlin has been appointed Interim Scientific Director, effective today. This transition also marks the launch of the recruitment process for Mila's next permanent scientific direction.
These new responsibilities will allow Professor Bengio to devote more time to his research on AI safety and his international AI governance initiatives. In addition to his new duties, Professor Bengio remains at the heart of Mila's activities as a Core Academic Member, member of the Institute's Scientific Council, and a Canada CIFAR AI Chair. He also continues to supervise dozens of master's and doctoral students as part of his professorial responsibilities at the Université de Montréal, thus continuing to grow the artificial intelligence ecosystem in Quebec and Canada.
Professor Laurent Charlin Appointed Interim Scientific Director
Following a recommendation from the Interim Scientific Leadership Selection Committee, Mila's Board of Directors has appointed Laurent Charlin as Interim Scientific Director. As Associate Professor in the Department of Decision Sciences at HEC Montréal, Canada CIFAR AI Chair, Core Academic Member of Mila, and member of its Scientific Council, Laurent Charlin is a renowned researcher and a leader respected by his peers. Over the coming months, he will work closely with Mila’s Associate Scientific Co-Directors, members of the Scientific Council, and faculty members, as well as its Executive Team and Board of Directors, to continue organizing the Institute's research activities until a permanent Scientific Director is appointed.
Start of the Permanent Scientific Leadership Recruitment Process
This moment also marks the beginning of the recruitment process for the next permanent scientific leadership, which includes an initial phase focused on internal candidates, i.e., members of Mila's faculty, followed if necessary by a potential second phase for external recruitment. To this end, Mila's Board of Directors has mandated a seven-member selection committee that will begin its work shortly.
Quote from Yoshua Bengio, Founder, Scientific Advisor and Outgoing Scientific Director of Mila
“For nearly 10 years, Mila has held a central place in my professional and personal life. We have built a world-renowned deep learning research institute in Montreal that has also become an important voice when reflecting on the impact and governance of artificial intelligence. We are at a critical point in the development of AI, and in recent months I have been pursuing new avenues of research and activities on AI safety that require a great deal of my time, which is difficult to reconcile with the administrative obligations of the scientific director position. I remain deeply rooted and active at Mila, and I look forward to working with the new scientific leadership for the next phase of our institute's development.”
Quote from Valérie Pisano, President and CEO of Mila
“Mila is at the dawn of a new chapter in its history, and I want to thank Yoshua for his vision and exceptional leadership that have allowed Mila to be recognized as one of the most renowned institutes in the world for AI research. Thanks to him, new generations of researchers have joined Mila to combine conviction and innovation. The arrival of Laurent Charlin as Interim Scientific Director and the launch of the recruitment process for the next permanent scientific direction pave the way for an exciting next step in Mila's development and AI research in Quebec and Canada.”
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