I School Professor Hany Farid has been appointed Associate Dean and Head of School for the School of Information.
He shared the following message with the I School community on January 15, 2021:
“When I joined the I School in 2019, I had little doubt of the importance of our collective mission of ‘expanding access to information and to improving its usability, reliability, and credibility while preserving security and privacy.’ Watching over the past 18 months of chaos and turmoil how the internet and technology has been used to fuel divisiveness, lies, and hate, I have become even more convinced of the importance of our mission at the intersection of technology and society. We have watched in horror as technology and information has been weaponized against individuals, groups, societies, and our very democracy. Our mission has never been more important, and I am proud to be affiliated with colleagues dedicated to this collective mission.
“I imagine that like me, many of you have grown dismayed at the events of the past year. During these times I am reminded of Margaret Mead's inspirational words: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’ I encourage you not to become despondent by our seemingly intractable societal woes, but instead to remember the importance of the work that we all do, and to trust that brighter days are ahead for us all.”
Farid has been a distinguished UC Berkeley faculty member since 2019, with a joint appointment in Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences and the School of Information. Prior to UC Berkeley, Farid was a faculty member at Dartmouth College from 1999 – 2019.
Farid’s research focuses on digital forensics, image analysis, and human perception. He is the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.
