Biography
Mary Kelly is an Assistant Professor in Carleton University’s Department of Cognitive Science and leads the ANIMUS lab, which studies cognition using computational models and artificial intelligence (AI).
With a background in machine learning, psychology and philosophy, Kelly examines how cognitive processes like learning, memory and language acquisition can inform AI. One focus of her and her team’s research at the ANIMUS lab is on ethical AI–exploring how current AI can make unsafe decisions and, by studying how humans cooperate, reason and empathize with each other, we can develop safer, more caring AI. By bridging human cognition and AI, she aims to develop fairer, more adaptable systems.
Kelly holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Computer Science from Queen’s University and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Carleton. She was previously a Researcher at Penn State and an Assistant Professor at Bucknell University.