Vivienne Ming

Dr. Vivienne Ming is a theoretical neuroscientist and artificial intelligence expert. She is known for her efforts to maximize human capacity as a serial entrepreneur, author, and mother of two. She co-founded Socos Labs, her fifth company, and her second co-founded with her wife, Dr. Norma Ming. This lab serves as a think tank, conducting research and providing consultation on artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and education reform. The primary focus of Socos Labs is to tackle seemingly intractable problems, ranging from individual disabilities to global economic inclusion, free of charge.

She began her professional journey as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley's Redwood Center for Theoretical Neuroscience. Later, she expanded her expertise and began to apply machine learning to bias in hiring and education at home and in school. Dr. Ming has also led significant research showing how metacognition, socio-emotional competence, creativity, and curiosity significantly affect long-term life outcomes. In her personal time, she develops AI systems to help treat her son’s diabetes, predict manic episodes in bipolar sufferers, and reunite orphan refugees with extended family members.

Dr. Ming frequently communicates her knowledge in public, having appeared on platforms such as the PC Magazine podcast Fast Forward, Singularity University in Brazil, as well as on BBC Radio 4 and NPR. She contributes to the field of artificial intelligence through her research, including the creation of "Muse," a machine-learning tool for parents. She also sits on the boards of many companies and nonprofits, including UC Berkeley's Neurotech Collider Hub and RFK Human Rights.

Her accomplishments have led her to be recognized as one of the BBC 100 Women in 2017 and one of the Financial Times' "LGBT leaders and allies today." To unwind, Ming writes science fiction and enjoys hiking with her wife and children. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in cognitive neuroscience from the University of California at San Diego and a Master of Science degree and PhD in Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University.