Yossi Matias

Yossi Matias is a prominent Israeli-American computer scientist and executive at Google, currently serving as the Vice President of Engineering & Research and the Head of Google Research. He has played a significant role in various innovative projects at Google, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) and search technologies.

Career Overview

• Current Role: Matias leads Google's global research initiatives, focusing on areas such as Health AI, Crisis Response, and Climate AI. He is also involved in advancing Conversational AI technologies.14
• Previous Positions: Before his current role, he was the founding managing director of Google's Center in Israel, which he established in 2006. Under his leadership, this center grew to over 2,500 employees and contributed to key projects like Google Trends and Google Autocomplete.156
• Academic Involvement: Matias is also a faculty member at Tel Aviv University, where he teaches computer science. He has published over 150 research papers and holds more than 70 patents in various fields including data analytics, algorithms, and machine learning.24

Notable Contributions

• Matias has been instrumental in developing several significant technologies at Google, including:
  • Google Duplex: An AI system that can conduct natural conversations.
  • Crisis Response Initiatives: Such as SOS alerts and flood forecasting systems.
  • Cultural Projects: He led efforts to digitize cultural heritage collections like the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum archive.134

Awards and Recognition

Matias has received several accolades for his work, including:

• The Gödel Prize for contributions to computer science.
• Recognition as an ACM Fellow for his impact on large-scale data analytics.5

In summary, Yossi Matias is a key figure at Google, driving research and innovation in AI and technology while also contributing to academic advancements in computer science.