Dave Epstein is the child of Israeli immigrants and an EECS doctoral student. (Photo/ Dave Epstein and PD Soros fellowship)
Dave Epstein is the child of Israeli immigrants and an EECS doctoral student. (Photo/ Dave Epstein and PD Soros fellowship)

Dave Epstein, a doctoral student in UC Berkeley’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, has been named to the class of 2022 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows.

The fellows are immigrants and children of immigrants chosen for “their potential to make significant contributions to the United States,” the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans said. Each receives up to $90,000 towards their graduate education over two years.

Epstein, the child of Israeli immigrants, was born in San Jose, Calif., and moved to Israel when he was 13 years old. He returned to the United States to attend Columbia University and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. 

Epstein is now a second-year doctoral student at the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab. He is advised by EECS professor Alexei Efros, with whom he develops machines that can act creatively to solve visual problems. He wants to work in the machine intelligence field.

“I'm extremely honored and grateful to be selected as a PD Soros fellow, and I've already met so many brilliant fellows whose fascinating stories inspire me,” Epstein said. “The opportunity to learn more about life from a community of other passionate scholars who chose to call America their home is truly one of a kind.”

Epstein is among two Berkeley and 30 total fellows this year.