Kiley Graim, Ph.D., on Wednesday accepted the Artificial Intelligence Research Excellence Early Career Award, an honor recognizing her outstanding contributions to artificial intelligence research and her emerging leadership in advancing biomedical and computational discovery.
Graim is an assistant professor with the University of Florida’s Department of Computer & Information Science and Engineering. She is an early career investigator whose pioneering work on the intersection of AI, cancer biology and precision medicine has already positioned her as a national leader in AI-driven biomedical research.
Her research program exemplifies the power of AI to transform human health, from tackling fundamental challenges in cancer genomics to driving equity in precision oncology.
Her lab designed PhyloFrame, a machine-learning tool that uses artificial intelligence to account for ancestral diversity in genetic data and corrects ancestry bias in genomic predictions. Demonstrated across 14 breast cancer studies spanning all ancestries, PhyloFrame represents a major advance toward equitable precision medicine. ExoGAN, her lab’s generative AI model for immunotherapy design, exemplifies the future of AI-enabled healthcare.
A former contributor to the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and winner of two international DREAM Challenges, Graim has continually pushed the boundaries of AI in biomedicine.
She leads one of the largest comparative oncology initiatives worldwide, developing computational frameworks that connect human and animal cancer data to reveal new therapeutic pathways.
“My dream is to help advance precision medicine through this kind of machine learning method so people can get diagnosed early and are treated with what works specifically for them and with the fewest side effects,” Graim said earlier this year. “Getting the right treatment to the right person at the right time is what we’re striving for.”
Her contributions not only advance her field but also strengthen UF’s reputation in innovation and research. Through her groundbreaking research, leadership in multi-institutional collaborations and commitment to equitable applications of AI, Graim quickly established herself as one of UF’s most innovative young scientists, according to her peers.
Her vision, creativity and record of high-impact achievements exemplify the spirit of the AI Research Early Career Award.
The award, which came with $2,000, was presented Wednesday evening during the AI Research Excellence Awards ceremony at UF’s Earl and Christy Powell University House.