Dr. Sarah Cen

Biography

Sarah H. Cen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on the intersection of machine learning, statistics, economics, law, and public policy. Recent projects include audits of artificial intelligence systems, the regulation of AI supply chains, algorithmic fairness, and causal inference in network interference. She has also explored the individual rights implicated in the age of AI and procedural due process in AI-driven decision-making. Prior to her role at Carnegie Mellon, Cen was a postdoctoral researcher at the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute, where she was jointly affiliated with the Stanford Law School's RegLab and the Department of Computer Science, collaborating with noted researchers such as Daniel Ho and Percy Liang. Cen earned her Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was advised by Aleksander Mądry and Devavrat Shah. She also holds a master’s degree in robotics from the University of Oxford, where she worked on autonomous vehicles, and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Princeton University, focusing on control systems.

Research Interests