New CMU-Q Lecture Series Named in Honor of Richard Scheines

During the spring 2026 semester, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) launched the Richard Scheines Distinguished Lecture Series in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, a new forum that will host discipline-specific discussions in cutting-edge areas of research, scholarship and practice.

The series is named in honor of Carnegie Mellon’s Richard Scheines, who will complete 14 years as Bess Family Dean of Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences on June 30 and return to the faculty.

“We are launching this lecture series, named in honor of Dean Richard Scheines,” said Michael Trick, dean of CMU-Q. “Dean Scheines is a distinguished scholar and educator who has spent decades reaching across disciplinary boundaries to further our understanding of the human condition. I look forward to many talks from experts who conduct research in this same spirit.”

To inaugurate the series, Scheines traveled to Doha to deliver a lecture titled “Is a science of humans even possible?” Drawing on his background in philosophy and causal discovery, Scheines addressed the complexities posed by free will and human intentions.

Above: Richard Scheines delivers the inaugural CMU-Q lecture named in his honor.

A member of the Carnegie Mellon faculty since 1988, Scheines has played a pivotal role in the history of the Qatar campus. He was involved in establishing CMU-Q from the very first discussions in 2001 and was instrumental in shaping the educational vision of the Doha campus. Scheines is a celebrated researcher and educational pioneer. His body of scholarly work has bridged the gap between philosophy and computer science, including serving as a faculty lead for the Simon Initiative to improve student learning through technology.

A foundation in the liberal arts is integral to every degree program at CMU-Q. Students in every major complete substantial coursework in the humanities and social sciences, providing context and insight into complex, human-centered environments.