“The next breakthroughs in health care will require serious advancements in computing.” Mark Kolokotrones.
The USC School of Advanced Computing (SAC) has created a new endowed chair in computer science and health, made possible by a $5-million gift from entrepreneur and philanthropist Mark A. Kolokotrones. The SAC is a unit of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
The holder of the new Mark Kolokotrones Trustee Chair in Health and Advanced Computing will lead the Faculty Affinity Group in Computing and Health, a collaborative network of faculty members focused on leveraging advanced computing to address key challenges in healthcare, from medical research to clinical applications.
“The next breakthroughs in health care will require serious advancements in computing, from designing molecules to protein folding,” said Kolokotrones, founder and president of financial services firm Castle Knoll investment, LLC.
“In today’s world, no one can master every field—science and computing, for example, have grown far too complex. Bringing interdisciplinary minds together from across the university was a key reason for my support. Computer scientists can transform the needs and visions of health care experts into groundbreaking realities.”
Catalyzing the next big scientific discoveries
Kolokotrones’ gift represents a significant contribution to support the recruitment of new faculty for the SAC, further reinforcing the school’s vision for interdisciplinary collaboration. In October 2024, pioneering electrical engineer Andrew Viterbi, the namesake of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, contributed a transformative $10 million gift to kickstart faculty hiring within the faculty affinity groups.
The Computing and Health affinity group is one of seven newly established groups designed to harness interdisciplinary strengths across the university. These groups focus on advancing computing technology, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to tackle complex challenges in areas including medicine, sustainability, security, physical sciences, arts and the humanities, and social and behavioral sciences.
Professor Gaurav Sukhatme, director of the SAC, said the gift will help to catalyze the next big scientific discoveries from a “human-centered” perspective, from personalized medicine and drug discovery to medical image processing and patient data security.
“We believe that the success of the SAC will depend crucially on interdisciplinary research and teaching,” said Sukhatme. “One of the most important dimensions for this growth is the growing tie between computing and health. This generous gift reaffirms one of the guiding tenets of the SAC—human-centered computing—by supporting scholarship in computing and health.”
Echoing this vision, Yannis Yortsos, dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering, said this “outstanding gift” is a testament to the SAC’s impact and its innovative approach to driving pioneering advances in the health sciences.
“This foundational gift for our health and advanced computing faculty affinity group sets a spectacular standard for interdisciplinary computing research,” said Yortsos.
The transformative power of interdisciplinary collaboration
Born and raised in La Cañada Flintridge, CA, Kolokotrones studied economics at Harvard, eventually pursuing a career in venture capital. After graduation, he enrolled at USC, undertaking various courses in computer science, engineering, physics and math. Kolokotrones found his niche at USC excelling in challenging classes like an algorithms course led by Professor Leonard Adelman, one of three inventors of the groundbreaking RSA algorithm, who Kolokotrones describes as “beyond smart.”
Since then, he said, he wanted to give back to the USC community. He was waiting for the right opportunity – one that arrived with the launch of the new School of Advanced Computing.
“Computer scientists can transform the needs and visions of health care experts into groundbreaking realities.” Mark Kolokotrones
The school’s mission, he said, aligns with his belief in the transformative power of interdisciplinary collaboration, with the convergence of computing and health presenting an unprecedented opportunity to radically reimagine the future of healthcare.
“At its core, health is fundamental—it touches every aspect of human life and represents one of the greatest opportunities to make a meaningful impact on humanity,” said Kolokotrones.
“My hope is that this gift will enable the hiring of a truly exceptional professor—someone whose influence will attract other top minds and drive interdisciplinary innovation.”
Endowed chairs represent one of the highest recognitions a university bestow upon its faculty, playing a crucial role in attracting, retaining and recognizing leading minds in academia. Proceeds from endowed chairs support the faculty positions in perpetuity and enable world-class researchers to explore new and innovative research directions.
Published on January 28th, 2025
Last updated on January 29th, 2025
