‘Nicholas Jacobson Recognized for Foundational Therabot Trial’ (Geisel School of Medicine News – July 16, 2026 – Full article)
Article Excerpt: Geisel professor Nicholas Jacobson, in recognition of leading the first clinical trial of a generative AI therapy chatbot using a platform developed in his lab called Therabot, has been named one of two finalists worldwide for the Chen Institute and Science Prize for AI Accelerated Research.
Jacobson, an associate professor of biomedical data science and psychiatry, will receive funding and publish a manuscript in Science on July 16 about the significance of his work—and on clinically developed AI-assisted therapy in general—to expand access to mental health care.
The prize, awarded by the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute in partnership with Science and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, recognizes early-career researchers working at the cutting edge of artificial intelligence and the natural sciences. The prize winner is Sergey Stavisky, an associate professor of neurological surgery at University of California Davis.