When Fei Fang was a graduate student she was introduced to game theory—mathematical models that describe strategic interactions among rational decision-makers. The IEEE member knew she had found her calling. She has combined the modelling technique with machine learning to thwart terrorist attacks and reduce animal poaching.

For Fang’s work in the field, she was named one of IEEE Intelligent Systems magazine’s “AI’s 10 to Watch in 2020.”

Fang, an assistant professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon, is now working with 412 Food Rescue, a nonprofit in Pittsburgh, to improve its system for alerting volunteers when surplus food is available for pickup.