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UVA School of Data Science Names Chirag Agarwal as Baugh Family Fellow
The University of Virginia School of Data Science has named assistant professor Chirag Agarwal as the 2026 Baugh Family Fellow, recognizing his contributions to advancing research at the intersection of data science, security, and artificial intelligence.
Agarwal received the fellowship in support of his project, “Monitoring of Latent Reasoning in Frontier LLMs for Safety,” which explores how large language models reason internally and how those processes can be evaluated to improve safety and reliability. The Baugh Family Fellowship supports research focused on safety and security applications, including cybersecurity, financial systems, industrial control systems, and national security.
The award also highlights Agarwal’s commitment to student engagement, with an emphasis on creating opportunities for students to participate in high-impact research that addresses real-world challenges in AI and data science.
“This work comes at a critical moment as society grapples with the rapid advancement of generative AI,” said Stephen Turner, assistant dean for research. “Chirag’s research advances technical understanding and also reinforces the School’s mission to develop responsible data science for the common good.”
The fellowship includes a $5,000 discretionary fund to support Agarwal’s research activities through the end of 2026. As part of the award, he will present a progress update during a School of Data Science Grant Brewing session in fall 2026 and submit a final outcomes report to the funder.
Agarwal’s work aligns with the School’s broader efforts to lead in trustworthy AI, focusing on transparency, interpretability, and safety in machine learning systems. Through his research and leadership of the Aikyam Lab, he continues to position the School of Data Science at the forefront of addressing some of the most pressing challenges in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence.
