Kiri L. Wagstaff

Kiri Wagstaff
  • Ph.D. in Computer Science, Cornell University, 2002
  • Intelligent Clustering with Instance-Level Constraints
  • M.S. in Computer Science, Cornell University, 2000
  • B.S. in Computer Science, University of Utah, 1997
  • M.S. in Geological Sciences, University of Southern California, 2008
  • Biogenicity Analysis of Stromatolite Structures
  • Master of Library and Information Science, San Jose State University, 2017
  • Automated Classification to Improve the Efficiency of Weeding Library Collections
  • Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI), 2023
  • Airplane pilot (single-engine land) since 2016, with instrument rating since 2023
  • Oregon Master Naturalist, 2025
  • Human-Wildlife Interactions at the Corvallis Airport
  • Dr. Kiri Wagstaff is an artificial intelligence researcher and educator with a focus on the real-world impact of machine learning and AI. As a principal researcher at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, she developed machine learning systems to help us explore, understand, and learn about the universe. She also served as a tactical planner and uplink lead for the Opportunity Mars Exploration Rover and as the PDS Imaging Node Technologist. From 2023-2024, she served as an AI subject matter expert in the U.S. Senate through the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program. She now serves as a Special Advisor on Artificial Intelligence for the Oregon State University Libraries and teaches a graduate course on "Machine Learning Challenges in the Real World." She is passionate about empowering people to make informed decisions about when and how to use AI in their daily lives. Dr. Wagstaff earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell University, followed by an M.S. in Geological Sciences (University of Southern California) and an MLIS in Library and Information Science (San Jose State University). She is a Fellow of AAAI, and her other honors include the Lew Allen Award for Excellence in Research and two NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medals.

    Current activities and news: Library science papers: Selected awards and honors: Extracurricular activities: