Part 1:
Title: Machine Learning for Reviewer-Proposal Matching in ALMA Distributed Peer Review
Presenter: John Carpenter (ALMA Observatory Scientist)

Part 2:
Title: Compound AI Systems: How Publisher AI Helps Researchers
Presenter: Dustin Smith (Co-founder and CEO, hum.works)

Time: 11 AM CT / 12PM ET

Venue: NRAO (ER-230)
Pizza will be served!

Watch the recording here

Part 1 Abstract
We developed a machine learning framework to improve reviewer-proposal assignments in ALMA’s distributed peer review system. By using topic models trained on past proposals, we can represent both proposals and reviewer expertise in the same space, measure their similarity, and optimize assignments with the PeerReview4All algorithm. This approach has led to better matches, more reviewers identifying themselves as experts, and the removal of manual reassignments. In this talk, I will outline the method, highlight performance results, and discuss possible next steps.

Part 2 Abstract
Scholarly communication still runs on workflows built for 1999. They’re costly, slow, and brittle. 

I’ll share what we’ve learned building publisher specific AI systems: where generic chatbots fail in editorial contexts, and what purpose-built systems embedded in manuscript and peer-review workflows can do today. We’ll walk through AI triage that flags scope/rigor issues and journal fit in minutes; citation/figure checks that catch problems early; and reviewer discovery that explains “why this reviewer.”

I’ll discuss how these capabilities shorten time-to-first-decision, reduce manual error, and improve the experience of editors, reviewers, and authors.

Speaker Bios
John Carpenter obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Astronomy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his PhD from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst. He was a JCMT Fellow at the University of Hawai‘i before joining Caltech’s Owens Valley Radio Observatory, where he contributed to the formation of the CARMA interferometer and eventually served as Executive Director. Since 2015, he has been the Observatory Scientist at the Joint ALMA Observatory in Chile, overseeing the proposal review process. His research centers on the formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks, particularly through submillimeter observations with ALMA.

Dustin Smith is Co-Founder & CEO of Hum, which builds AI systems used by leading publishers like Oxford University Press (MNRAS), Institute of Physics Publishing (ApJ), and IEEE (IEEE Access). His team ships taxonomy, engagement, and peer-review tooling that plugs into publishing platforms to improve efficiency, personalization, and discovery at scale.