Headshot of Moshe Vardi.

Moshe Vardi

Fellow, Science and Technology Policy | Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering | University Professor

Biography

Moshe Y. Vardi is a fellow in science and technology policy at the Baker Institute, a university professor, and the Karen Ostrum George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering at Rice University, where he leads the Technology, Culture and Society Initiative.

His interests focus on automated reasoning, a branch of artificial intelligence with broad applications to computer science, including machine learning, database theory, computational-complexity theory, knowledge in multi-agent systems, computer-aided verification, and teaching logic across the curriculum.

Vardi is the recipient of three IBM Outstanding Innovation Awards, the ACM SIGACT Goedel Prize, the ACM Kanellakis Award, the ACM SIGMOD Codd Award, the Blaise Pascal Medal, the IEEE Computer Society Goode Award, the EATCS Distinguished Achievements Award, the Southeastern Universities Research Associations Distinguished Scientist Award and the ACM SIGLOG Church Award.

He is the author and co-author of over 600 papers, as well as two books: “Reasoning About Knowledge” and “Finite Model Theory and Its Applications.” He is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Mathematical Society, the Association for Computing Machinery, the American Association for Artificial Intelligence, the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science, the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

In addition, he is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Science, the European Academy of Science and Academia Europaea.

Vardi holds six honorary doctorates as well as a B.Sc. in physics and computer science (summa cum laude) from Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel; and an M.Sc. in computer science from Feinberg Graduate School, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovoth, Israel.

Contact at [email protected] or 713-348-3834.

Explore More

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Techno-Optimism, Techno-Pessimism, and Techno-Realism
Drawing on the history of the web and the evolution of AI, Moshe Y. Vardi makes the case for techno-realism — a framework that recognizes AI’s potential for the common good while calling for changes to the incentives guiding its development. In a new commentary for Communications, he argues that prevailing perspectives often overlook a deeper problem: the faulty reward functions shaping today’s technology systems.
Moshe Vardi January 5, 2026
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Computing Is Indeed a Discipline in Crisis
While Silicon Valley invests tens of billions in artificial intelligence, U.S. academic computing research faces declining funding, fewer international students, and uncertain career prospects. In this commentary for Communications, fellow Moshe Vardi explores the widening gap between industrial investment and academic reality and what it means for the future of computing.
Moshe Vardi October 15, 2025