The La Jolla institution’s gift from the Qualcomm co-founder will be used to advance AI-powered research with the aim to aid human health improvements.

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla has received a $5 million gift from Qualcomm co-founder Andrew Viterbi.

The funding will endow the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Distinguished Chair in the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Sanford Burnham Prebys.

The Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence leverages expert knowledge in AI, statistics, genetics and more, combing through raw and untapped data for patterns to aid scientists and clinicians making innovative breakthroughs for human health.

Andrew Viterbi holds “deep confidence” in Sanford Burnham Prebys’ ability “to steward this investment with vision and purpose,” he said in a press release, adding “biomedical research and collaboration generate momentum used to advance computing and artificial intelligence.”

The inaugural holder of the Viterbi chair will be Yuk-Lap (Kevin) Yip, PhD, director of the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Yip’s pioneering work uncovers medical insights from complex biological data using advanced analytics and machine learning, accelerating progress in disease research and precision medicine.

Viterbi, himself a programming trailblazer, “has been a force, pairing extraordinary intellect with a deep commitment to advancing human knowledge and possibility,” said David Brenner, MD, president and chief executive of Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Viterbi’s gift furthers the Sanford Burnham Prebys vision for its Center for Data Science and AI, Brenner said, “where world-class scientists are redefining how we understand biology and disease.”