Dr. Pearson is Director of Data Sciences and Director of Head/Neck Cancer for Hematology/Oncology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Pearson trained as a PhD statistician and physician, and completed both subspecialty training in Hematology/Oncology and postdoctoral research in mathematical systems biology.

Dr. Pearson is now a prominent voice guiding applications of quantitative methods to cancer research, and his research lab runs projects using machine learning, mathematical modeling, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, and systems biology. Dr. Pearson is a member of multiple international research consortia for AI and mathematical oncology, and his research work is funded by US Departments of Health, Defense, and Energy, as well as the EU and multiple foundations.

He serves on the NIH National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council (NADCRC) for NIDCR data science strategy, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) AI in Oncology Task Force, and the American Medical Association AI Specialty Society Collaborative.

Dr. Pearson’s research group works at the interface of cutting edge computational science and oncology, and he is an advocate for physician leadership in computational medicine research. As a clinician, Dr. Pearson is an expert in head and neck cancer treatment, and he runs multiple clinical trials to improve cancer treatment in this field.