IFDS director Maryam Fazel received the 2025 Farkas Prize from the INFORMS Optimization Society. The Farkas Prize is an annual award honoring a mid-career researcher for outstanding, career-spanning contributions to the field of optimization. Fazel was recognized for her foundational work in optimization and pioneering contributions to data science and artificial intelligence." INFORMS citation

The Institute for Foundations of Data Science (IFDS) brought AI and machine learning experts from across the nation to the University of Washington to discuss and explore the mathematical, statistical, and algorithmic underpinnings of modern AI systems. The IFDS Workshop on Theoretical Foundations of Applied AI was held in August 2025 at the Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering on the UW campus.