Microsoft today named its first chief scientific officer, promoting longtime research leader and technical fellow Eric Horvitz to the newly created role. It also announced Microsoft Healthcare chief Peter Lee as the new head of Microsoft Research.
Horvitz started at Microsoft in 1993 as a principal researcher. He most recently was director of Microsoft Research Labs, focusing on artificial intelligence.
“The focus of the chief scientist position is to provide cross-company leadership on advances and trends related to scientific matters and on important issues and opportunities rising at the intersection of science, technology, and society,” Horvitz wrote on LinkedIn. “I’m looking forward to the chance to more deeply shape our company’s activities, focus of attention, investments, and understandings of how today’s efforts and near-term plans relate to trends—and potential surprises—on the horizon.”
Lee will replace Horvitz and lead the Microsoft Research arm, adding to his existing responsibilities as corporate vice president at Microsoft Healthcare. He’ll also oversee teams involved in incubating new research-backed business opportunities, including Research Canvas, Healthcare NExt, and Foundry99. Lee joined Microsoft in 2010 and previously spent 22 years at Carnegie Mellon University.
Former Microsoft AI chief Harry Shum left Microsoft in February. Shum led Microsoft’s AI and Research Group, as well as Microsoft Research.
Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott took over Shum’s responsibilities while maintaining his previous work.
Microsoft has invested heavily in healthcare-related efforts in recent years, inking partnerships with companies including Novartis and Adaptive Biotechnologies. Tech rivals such as Google and Amazon are joining Microsoft in the race to modernize healthcare data.
