Cornell Tech, Cornell University’s groundbreaking campus for technology research and education on Roosevelt Island in New York City, has appointed three new faculty members for the 2024-25 academic year. Beginning fall 2024, Hadar Averbuch-Elor has joined the Department of Computer Science as Assistant Professor and David Reiss has joined the Department of Law as Clinical Professor of Law and Research Director. Angelina Wang will join as Assistant Professor of Information Science effective July 2025.
“Cornell Tech’s research excellence is central to our broader mission of advancing lasting economic and social prosperity for New York City and the world. Through their scholarship and teaching, these new faculty members will continue to create new knowledge and advance our understanding of their fields while fostering the next generation of leaders who are driving innovation, leading groundbreaking discoveries, and generating positive social impact,” said Greg Morrisett, Jack and Rilla Neafsey Dean and Vice Provost at Cornell Tech.
Averbuch-Elor’s breadth of experience in engineering will expand and complement the faculty’s computer science expertise in advanced technical fields like machine learning and computer vision. Reiss, who has spent over 20 years teaching law in New York, has led an esteemed career informing the discourse around some of society’s most pernicious issues and equipping students with the skills required to address them. Wang’s work in machine learning fairness and algorithmic bias will contribute to the campus mission of developing tech innovation that serves the public interest and creates a positive real world impact.
With her appointment, Averbuch-Elor returns to the Cornell Tech community, where she spent time as a postdoctoral research scholar under Professor Noah Snavely as part of the Cornell Graphics and Vision Group. Most recently, she was an Assistant Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering at Tel-Aviv University, where she also received her Ph.D. in electrical engineering. Averbuch-Elor has also held private sector research positions at Amazon and Facebook. Her research focuses on modeling and manipulating visual concepts by combining pixels with more structured modalities, including natural language and 3D geometry.
“Cornell Tech’s collaborative approach is an essential element for how faculty and students elevate our collective expertise to spur new ideas and innovative solutions to real world challenges, driving New York’s tech sector forward,” said Averbuch-Elor. “Following my time as a postdoctoral research scholar at Cornell Tech, I know first hand the power of the institute’s computer science department and am excited to return and work alongside faculty and students whose work ripples across New York City and the rest of the world.”
Wang earned a Ph.D. in computer science from Princeton University and a B.S. in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently a postdoc at Stanford University, her research focuses on the area of machine learning fairness and algorithmic bias to address responsible AI concerns. She has been recognized by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the Rising Stars in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) programs and has received a Siebel Scholarship as well as a Microsoft AI and Society Fellowship. She publishes in top machine learning, computer vision, and interdisciplinary and responsible computing venues.
“The responsible development and utilization of tech and AI requires not just technical considerations but social ones as well, and my research is in grounding technical work in the relevant social concerns,” said Wang. “Cornell Tech’s commitment to integrating tech and AI innovation with social responsibility is essential to ensuring that the rapidly developing tech sector continues to evolve ethically.”
Reiss comes to Cornell Tech from Brooklyn Law School where he served as the Research Director of the Center for Urban Business Entrepreneurship. He is a Furman Center Research Affiliate at NYU and his scholarship focuses primarily on affordable housing, housing finance, predatory lending, and housing policy. In addition to his research, Reiss is the Chair of the New York City Rent Guidelines Board, a member of the American Law Institute, and an Observer on the Uniform Law Commission Mortgage Modifications Drafting Committee.
“It’s essential that we train the next generation of leaders in the legal field to see connections across issues and areas of policy,” said Reiss. “Cornell Tech provides an immense opportunity for law students to conduct industry informed and specialized research through the program’s interdisciplinary collaboration with designers, engineers, and business students, providing a holistic view of a field’s evolving legal challenges.”
Cornell Tech now has more than 50 full-time faculty members and nearly 700 students as the campus continues to expand into its second decade of operation since it opened in 2012.
