Babak Salimi

Assistant Professor, UCSD
Babak Salimi 

Contact

Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute
Department of Computer Science and Engineering (Affiliate)
University of California, San Diego
E-mail: bsalimi@ucsd.edu

Data-centric foundations of trustworthy AI

My research focuses on how data shapes the reliability and behavior of AI systems. I develop methods to understand, measure, and improve data quality and its impact on learning and decision-making. My work connects data discovery, cleaning, and valuation with uncertainty, robustness, fairness, and privacy. Across predictive models, language models, and agentic systems, the goal is to identify which data matters, understand where failures come from, and make targeted improvements that lead to more trustworthy AI.

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About me

I am an Assistant Professor in the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute and affiliated with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at University of California, San Diego. Before joining UCSD, I was a postdoctoral research associate at University of Washington and part of the UW Database Group, where I worked with Prof. Dan Suciu. I completed my Ph.D. in 2016 at Carleton University, advised by Prof. Leopoldo Bertossi.

I have been honored with the following awards: