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About the symposium
Knowledge in Data Science Symposium brings together the St. Jude community and researchers across the biomedical, clinical and computational sciences to share data-driven research, foster collaboration, and explore innovative approaches to advancing the understanding and treatment of catastrophic pediatric diseases.
This year's theme is Building an Integrated Data Science and AI Ecosystem for Pediatric Discovery, Care, and Innovation.
- Keynote Presentations: Learn from pioneering leaders in biomedical data science as they share groundbreaking research, emerging technologies, and insights shaping the future of the field.
- Research Presentations: Hear from St. Jude researchers as they showcase innovative research, novel methodologies, and real-world applications advancing biomedical data science.
- Interactive Learning: Participate in workshops, poster sessions, and collaborative discussions that foster learning, innovation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
- Networking Opportunities: Connect with colleagues from St. Jude and the broader scientific community in breakout sessions to exchange ideas, build collaborations, and expand your professional network.
Overview
Event: 4th Annual Knowledge in Data Science Symposium (KIDS26)
Date: November 16-18, 2026
Location:
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Virtual option available
Department hosts: Office of Data Science and the Scientific Director's Office
Event contact:
Ariel Maclin
ariel.maclin@stjude.org
Speakers
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Georgia Channing, PhD
Head AI for Science, Hugging Face and NVIDIA
Georgia Channing, PhD
Head AI for Science, Hugging Face and NVIDIA
Biography
Dr. Georgia Channing (Head AI for Science, Hugging Face and NVIDIA), a machine learning researcher with deep expertise in representation learning. Her keynote on the use of AI in scientific exploration will create opportunities for collaboration around foundation models, open model ecosystems, and the AI4Science program.
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Dorin Comaniciu, PhD
Senior Vice President and Chief Expert for Healthcare AI, Siemens Healthcare
Dorin Comaniciu, PhD
Senior Vice President and Chief Expert for Healthcare AI, Siemens Healthcare
Biography
Dr. Dorin Comaniciu (SVP, Siemens Healthineers) will present his work on applying AI in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, and precision medicine. His keynote will provide a focused opportunity to connect institutional interests in healthcare AI and imaging with external expertise. Radiology and Radiation Oncology have been identified as particularly relevant areas for engagement.
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Jonah Cool, PhD
The Head of Partnerships and Deployment, Anthropic
Jonah Cool, PhD
The Head of Partnerships and Deployment, Anthropic
Biography
Dr. Jonah Cool (Head of Life Sciences Partnerships and Deployment, Anthropic) leads partnerships that help research organizations adopt and apply frontier AI technologies in scientific discovery. His keynote will highlight Claude for Science and Anthropic's broader AI platform. His participation provides an opportunity for collaborations in areas related to AI for Science, scientific data analysis, and the application of foundation models to accelerate discovery.
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Samuel L. Volchenboum, MD, PhD, MS
Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director, University of Chicago
Samuel L. Volchenboum, MD, PhD, MS
Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Director, University of Chicago
Biography
Dr. Samuel L. Volchenboum (University of Chicago) is a Professor of Pediatrics and lead of Data for the Common Good and Pediatric Cancer Data Commons. His clinical specialty and extensive leadership in research informatics are particularly relevant to clinical and translational research communities and may create opportunities for collaboration across pediatric, clinical-research, and data-science programs.
Abstracts
Data-Driven Scientific Discovery: methods, analyses, and data integration approaches that generate biological and biomedical insight.
Data Science for Clinical Care and Patient Outcomes: applications that improve diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, clinical decision-making, survivorship, and patient experience.
Responsible, Trustworthy, and Reproducible AI: approaches that advance transparency, validation, governance, privacy, security, fairness, reproducibility, and human oversight.
Scientific Computing, Data Infrastructure, and Research Enablement: tools, platforms, pipelines, cloud and high-performance computing, data-sharing environments, and scalable research support.
AI, Machine Learning, and Intelligent Systems: novel AI tools, models, foundation models, agentic systems, automation, multimodal AI, and advanced analytical tools.
Therapeutic and Translational Data Science: work that connects molecular, clinical, imaging, and population data to therapeutic development and real-world impact.
Community, Education, and Workforce Development: training, mentoring, communities of practice, career development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and capability building.
Global, Equitable, and Resource-Aware Data Science: data science approaches designed for global health, diverse populations, limited-resource settings, equitable access, and sustainable implementation.
Eligibility
Accommodations
If you are visiting from out of town, we recommend the following hotels:
The Peabody Memphis – 149 Union Ave, Memphis, TN 38103 (has a shuttle that can take you directly to campus)
The River Inn of Harbor Town – 50 Harbor Town Square, Memphis, TN 38103
Shuttle transportation to and from campus can be arranged for guests staying at either hotel, with service provided at the beginning and end of each symposium day. If you plan to stay at one of these recommended hotels and would like to use the shuttle service, please notify the event contact in advance so transportation can be coordinated.
KIDS advisory committees
Registration deadlines & fees
This symposium will be hosted in a hybrid format, giving you the option to attend in-person or virtually. Registration is free.
Explore Archived Lectures
Our lecture archive features recordings from the 2025 KIDS Symposium, with additional symposium content to be added as it becomes available.
Scenes from KIDS25
ODS: Data Science at St. Jude
The Knowledge in Data Science (KIDS) Symposium is part of the broader mission of the Office of Data Science at St. Jude to accelerate scientific discovery through data science, AI and cross-disciplinary collaboration.