On March 31 – April 2, 2025, the Translational Data Analytics Institute held the 2025 Data Science Leadership Summit, an event that gathered around 100 distinguished leaders, educators, and innovators to discuss the management of AI and Data Science education and research. This invitation-only event is hosted by the Academic Data Science Alliance, with the goal to inform the academic community for data science and AI, sharing best practices in the face of adversity, as well as taking collective responsibility in preparing next-generation data scientists for their contributions to society. 

“ADSA’s Leadership Summit creates a crucial space for data science leaders across the nation to create connections and community and learn from one another…and… in today’s rapidly evolving landscape, these collaborative relationships are essential as AI technologies continue to transform how we approach data science education and research,” says Micaela Parker, founder and executive director of ADSA.

The Data Science Leadership Summit featured keynote speaker, Kyle Cranmer, the David R. Anderson Director of the UW-Madison Data Science Institute and Professor of Physics with special appointments in Statistics and Computer Science. This event also highlighted 6 discussion sessions, 7 new member lightning talks, ‘unconference talks’, which allowed attendees the opportunity to present a 3-5 minute lightning talk on a topic of their choosing, and a daily industry-focused networking happy hour which highlighted companies including Skin Laundry, zyBooks, Engie, Amazon Web Services, and Goody Clancy.

The focus for this conference was to discuss approaches and solutions in the management of AI and Data Science education and research. The 6 discussion sessions ranged from Advancing the Field of Data Science in the era of AI to discussing Industry Perspectives on Workforce Needs and concluding with The Path Forward, which took a closer look into at how ADSA can better support its members and the academic data science community in the future.

As innovation and collaboration through academia continues to impact our future, Parker adds, “By connecting leaders across universities, we’re creating a community that prepares students to design technologies that prioritize societal welfare alongside innovation….we can’t lose sight of the importance of higher education’s role in innovation and basic research, and in training the future work force who will shape our whole society in the decades to come.” 

The Translational Data Analytics Institute is honored to hold this year’s summit in Pomerene Hall. As a hub for interdisciplinary research, TDAI fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and meaningful dialogue that drives innovation and translates cutting-edge research into real-world impact.

The Translational Data Analytics Institute at The Ohio State University wants to give a  special thanks to the 2025 Data Science Leadership Summit Program Committee and Session Speakers, which were comprised of ten committee members and more than 30 speakers. The session speakers included distinguished data scientists, statisticians, computer scientists, industry leaders, and more from organizations ranging from colleges and universities to different industries across the nation.