The magazine “The Africa Report” has published its ranking of the 10 African intellectuals to follow in 2025. Among these figures of excellence, the Senegalese Adji Bousso Dieng stands out thanks to her work at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural sciences.
Currently an assistant professor of computer science at Princeton University, she directs the Vertaix laboratory, where she explores innovative concepts such as “Vendi Scoring”. This pioneering field is interested in diversity and its applications in various scientific fields, notably AI. She is also affiliated with several prestigious Princeton institutes and collaborates as a research scientist at Google DeepMind.
In addition to her academic contributions, Adji Bousso Dieng is the founder of the non-profit association The Africa I Know, aimed at promoting better representation of Africa on a global scale. In an interview with “The Africa Report”, the researcher shared her passion for her work: “Diversity is a fascinating concept that underlies so many phenomena in our universe. Every day is different, which makes my job so exciting. »
Winner of numerous distinctions in the United States, she has notably received a Google doctoral scholarship in machine learning and the Savage Prize from the International Society for Bayesian Analysis. Recently, she was named “Outstanding Recent Alumni” by Columbia University and “Annie T. Randall Innovator of 2022” by the American Statistical Association. Adji Bousso Dieng joins other renowned intellectuals such as Thomas Karikari and Olajumoke Ayandele in this ranking, which celebrates African scientific and academic excellence.
