John Platt

John Platt has extensive experience in the field of computer science, holding significant positions at major technology companies. At Microsoft Research from 1997 to February 2015, John served as a Distinguished Scientist and led the Machine Learning Groups, contributing to advancements in technologies such as spam detection and malware detection. Prior to this, John was the Director of Research at Synaptics from 1989 to 1997, where John developed convolutional neural network systems for computer/human interfaces and handwriting recognition. After leaving Microsoft, John became a Distinguished Scientist at Google in February 2015, overseeing various initiatives including Quantum Computing and Climate and Energy. Currently, as a Google Fellow since May 2024, John focuses on combating climate change and enhancing AI effectiveness for scientists. John holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Caltech, earned between 1982 and 1989.