Bergés Joins Amazon Scholars: Driving Sustainability Solutions

CEE Professor Mario Bergés was recently named an Amazon Scholar, placing him in an elite program that engages academics with the global business giant. Bergés will be working part-time with Amazon’s Devices and Services Organization. 

The Amazon Scholars program allows Amazon to collaborate with intellectuals it defines as a “world-class group of academics from various disciplines who hold positions at leading research institutions.” The opportunity allows professors and researchers to continue their current academic work while contributing to solving “large-scale and high-impact” challenges at Amazon.

Amazon announces Bergés’ appointment as the first step in building a strong professional relationship with Carnegie Mellon University. Professor Bergés will have a chance to have a ground-up impact on Amazon’s systems, business and customers, through his expertise. In, particular, within the Devices and Services organization, Prof. Bergés will help shape the scientific roadmap for energy and sustainability solutions developed by the company. He will also have the opportunity to, and be actively engaged in, build connections more broadly with different organizations within Amazon. “I am excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of products in this space and to get first-hand experience on solving these challenges from within the industry side,” said Bergés. 

Amazon Scholars must meet strict guidelines to be considered for the program—including external recognition as an applied science expert who routinely applies knowledge from other disciplines. Research and communications are also noted as important qualifiers.

The Amazon Scholar program is one of Amazon’s “pillars of engagement with research and students.” Researchers may come from the backgrounds of Artificial Intelligence, Avionics, Computer Vision, Data Science, Economics, Machine Learning, Optimization, Natural Language Processing, Quantum Computing, and Robotics.