$20 million donation from Thomas Dunn launches project defining a new field in algorithmic public policy
A $20 million gift from University of Chicago trustee Thomas Francis Dunn, and Susan Knapp Dunn, is setting the stage for a new era at the Harris School of Public Policy.
The couple’s transformative gift will establish The Bike Shop @UChicago, an innovative laboratory dedicated to advancing the emerging field of algorithmic public policy—a discipline that harnesses artificial intelligence to improve how governments make decisions and deliver services.
For the Dunns, longtime supporters of education and social innovation, the project reflects both their deep ties to the university and their shared conviction that technology can and should be deployed for the public good.
“UChicago and the Harris School have a long-standing strength in rigorous, evidence-based public policy and in asking hard questions about how government can work better,” said Thomas Dunn. “We wanted to help build on that foundation by scaling cutting-edge research on algorithms into solutions that public servants can actually put to work.”
Inspired by Steve Jobs’ description of computers as “bicycles for the mind,” the new Bike Shop @UChicago takes its name from that metaphor—of machines that amplify, rather than replace, human capability.
The initiative will focus on designing algorithms to enhance human judgment and decision-making, enabling policymakers to address complex social challenges with greater precision, speed, and equity. In practice, that means building tools that can help governments allocate resources more effectively, tailor services to community needs, and bridge the gap between policy research and real-world implementation.
“Through their generosity, Tom and Susan Dunn are helping launch not only a lab but an entirely new field of study,” said University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos. “Their vision ensures that advances in AI and data science will serve society broadly—by strengthening public institutions and helping governments deliver improved outcomes for millions of people.”
The Bike Shop @UChicago will be led by Jens Ludwig, the Edwin A. and Betty L. Bergman Distinguished Service Professor at Harris and Pritzker Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, in partnership with a sister initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology led by Professor Sendhil Mullainathan, Ludwig’s long-time collaborator.
Together, the two labs aim to define what algorithmic public policy can become: a discipline that couples human insight with machine learning to enhance fairness and efficiency in government decision-making.
For decades, Tom and Susan Dunn have been quiet but significant philanthropists whose giving has consistently intersected with questions of leadership, societal impact, and the public good. Their latest gift continues a pattern of civic-minded generosity aimed at strengthening institutions that shape public life. The Dunns’ association with the University of Chicago dates back to their undergraduate years; both have remained closely involved as alumni and advocates for innovation in higher education.
Tom Dunn, a university trustee and business leader with extensive experience in finance and organizational leadership, has long emphasized the importance of leveraging private philanthropy to drive practical solutions to collective challenges.
“The Bike Shop @UChicago will define algorithmic public policy by solving one of government’s hardest problems: how to take what works in research and make it operational at scale,” said Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, Dean and Sydney Stein Professor at the Harris School.
“With the Dunns’ extraordinary support, we can convert breakthrough scholarship into applied tools—helping governments deploy evidence-based solutions more efficiently and sustainably.”
The new lab will unite research, education, and collaboration under one framework. It will train a generation of scholars and policymakers fluent in the ethical and technical dimensions of AI-driven decision systems.
The gift will also seed partnerships between UChicago researchers and governmental agencies, supporting applications across fields such as public safety, education, municipal finance, and climate adaptation.
Initial projects will include initiatives to reform municipal tax collection using machine learning for fairness and efficiency, improve policing outcomes through AI-informed behavioral interventions, and employ algorithmic forecasting to strengthen climate resilience in developing regions.
Each of these projects embodies the Dunns’ belief that technology, when thoughtfully applied, can expand human capacity without diminishing human judgment.
For the Dunns, investing in the future of evidence-driven governance is not simply an academic endeavor—it is a continuation of their lifelong commitment to responsible innovation. “Good policy depends on good tools,” Tom Dunn said.
“If we can help create methods that make government more human-centered, more efficient, and more trustworthy, we’re investing in something that benefits everyone.”
With The Bike Shop @UChicago, that vision is now becoming reality. It is a philanthropic gesture designed not just to build an institution but to lay the foundation for a new kind of public problem-solving—one that brings human wisdom and artificial intelligence together in service of society’s most enduring challenges.