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Javier Viaña      

Expert in Explainable Artificial Intelligence & Post Doc Researcher at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research

Javier Viaña is a Spanish engineer and researcher recognized for his innovative contributions to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and aerospace engineering. Born in Bilbao, Viaña is a PhD graduate from the University of Cincinnati, where he specialized in Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) applied to aerospace systems. His research focuses on creating transparent algorithms that provide both accurate predictions and human-understandable justifications, with applications spanning aerospace, healthcare, and computational astrophysics.

Currently, Viaña is a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. His work includes designing neural networks to classify planetary candidates from NASA's TESS mission. He also serves as an AI advisor to The Center for Astrophysics, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Harvard College Observatory. In addition to his academic endeavors, he co-founded Rezon.ai, a company that develops XAI tools to enhance the transparency and accountability of AI systems, particularly in critical fields such as healthcare.​

Viaña has received numerous accolades for his work, including recognition in Forbes' 2024 "30 Under 30" list in the science category. He has also collaborated with prominent organizations like Boeing, NASA, and the European Space Agency, demonstrating the broad impact of his expertise in fields like evolutionary algorithms, fuzzy systems, and aerospace optimization​.

He has published four books, 30+ peer-reviewed papers, several registries of intellectual property and four patents. He has received awards such as the Best National Research Article of 2016; the “La Caixa” fellowship award; the John Leland Atwood Award of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; a letter of recognition from HH. MM. King Felipe VI and the Royal House of Spain; the Professor R. T. Davis Memorial Award for Academic Performance in Computational Sciences; the Airport Cooperative Research Program Award from the Federal Aviation Administration and The National Academy of Sciences; the Best Ph.D. Thesis Award; and three Best Paper Awards from the North American Fuzzy Information Processing Society’s (NAFIPS).

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