Dr. Amarda Shehu is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science in the College of Engineering and Computing with affiliated appointments in the Department of Bioengineering and School of Systems Biology at George Mason University. She is also Co-Director of the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnerships (CAHMP), a Transdisciplinary Center for Advanced Study at George Mason University. Shehu obtained her Ph.D. from Rice University in 2008, where she was an NIH predoctoral fellow in the Nanobiology Program and was dually trained in AI and Molecular Biophysics. Shehu's research focuses on AI-driven scientific discoveries that bridge scientific disciplines and advance understanding. In particular, her laboratory has made many contributions in bioinformatics and computational biology regarding the relationship between macromolecular sequence, structure, dynamics, and function. Shehu has published over 150 technical papers with postdoctoral, graduate, undergraduate, and high-school students. She is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award, and her research is regularly supported by various NSF programs, as well as state and private research awards. Shehu is also the recipient of the 2021 Beck Family Presidential Medal for Faculty Excellence in Research and Scholarship, the 2018 Mason University Teaching Excellence Award, the 2014 Mason Emerging Researcher/Scholar/Creator Award, and the 2013 Mason OSCAR Undergraduate Mentor Excellence Award. She currently serves as Program Director at the National Science Foundation in the Information and Intelligent Systems Division of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate.