UC San Diego, home to the world’s first Department of Cognitive Science, will further expand its leadership in the field thanks to a $4 million gift from alumnus Robert J. Glushko, PhD ’79, and Pamela Samuelson. The contribution establishes the Glushko Chairs in Cognitive Science, a collection of four endowed faculty chairs designed to honor transformational scholars whose work shaped the modern field and the trajectory of Glushko’s own career.
The gift establishes the following chairs:
The new chairs add to an existing faculty chair, the Jeff Elman Chancellor's Endowed Chair in Cognitive Science, established in honor of Elman after his death in 2018. These chairs honor the "giants" of cognitive science — including three members of Glushko's own doctoral thesis committee — whose groundbreaking research in neural network learning models and design cognition laid the essential foundation for today’s artificial intelligence technology. By providing permanent support for salaries, scholarly activities and graduate fellowships, these endowments will help UC San Diego recruit and retain world-class scientists.
For Glushko, a successful entrepreneur and adjunct professor at UC Berkeley, the gift is a way to ensure his mentors receive the recognition they deserve while fueling future discovery. “These four individuals shaped my whole trajectory,” said Glushko. “I wanted to make sure these cognitive science greats get the recognition they deserve, while also fueling the future of the field at UC San Diego.”
Bradley Voytek, chair of the Department of Cognitive Science, noted that this is the largest gift of its kind in the department's nearly 40-year history. He emphasized that in an era increasingly influenced by AI, the study of cognitive science is more critical than ever.
Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla praised the investment, stating, “This extraordinary investment from alumnus Bob Glushko and Pamela Samuelson honors the remarkable scholars who defined the field and set the foundation for AI technology, while ensuring that UC San Diego continues to lead the next generation of discovery.”
