Joseph Jay Williams

Joseph Jay Williams is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto, with additional graduate supervisory roles in Psychology, Statistical Sciences, and Artificial Intelligence. He leads the Intelligent Adaptive Interventions Lab, which focuses on developing AI and machine learning-based technologies to enhance behavior change interventions in education, mental health, and decision-making. His research spans human-computer interaction, educational technology, psychology, applied machine learning, and statistics, with an emphasis on designing and optimizing adaptive experiments and data analysis methods. Joseph previously held research positions at the National University of Singapore, Harvard University, and Stanford University, and completed his Ph.D. in Computational Cognitive Science at the University of California, Berkeley. His work has been published in top-tier conferences and journals, and he has received numerous awards, including the $1 million Xprize for educational technology.

• 2020–Present·University of Toronto·Assistant Professor
  • Leading the Intelligent Adaptive Interventions Lab, researching applications of adaptive experiments in education, mental health, and behavior change.
• 2014–2020·National University of Singapore·Assistant Professor in the School of Computing, Department of Information Systems & Analytics
  • Conducted research on intelligent interactive systems and behavioral science interventions.
• 2014·Stanford University·Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Engaged in research at the Office of Online Learning and Open Learning Initiatives.
• 2012–2014·Harvard University·Research Fellow
  • Worked with the Office of the Vice Provost for Learning Innovation, supporting research in online learning.

• 2007–2012·University of California, Berkeley·Ph.D.
  • Computational Cognitive Science, studying Bayesian statistical and machine learning models of human learning and reasoning.
• 2002–2006·University of Toronto·B.Sc.
  • Majored in Cognitive Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Mathematics.