Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Northeastern University
Dr. Mauricio Santillana is Professor of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, where he directs the Machine Intelligence Group for the Betterment of Health and the Environment (MIGHTE) at the Network Science Institute. He also holds an Adjunct Professor position in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and courtesy appointments as Professor of Computer Science at Northeastern's Khoury College and Professor of Health Sciences at the Bouvé College of Health Sciences. As a physicist and applied mathematician, Dr. Santillana specializes in scientific computing, mathematical modeling, and machine learning approaches for analyzing complex systems through big data. His groundbreaking work focuses on developing machine learning systems to monitor and forecast infectious disease outbreaks globally using novel data sources including internet searches, social media, and human mobility patterns. He creates predictive models to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs in critical care medicine, while also researching antibiotic resistance patterns using climate variables. Additionally, his expertise extends to modeling atmospheric chemistry, coastal flooding due to hurricanes, and population growth patterns.