AI4RA workshop companion for NCURA Region VI/VII 2026

Workshop presenters

Meet the people leading the session.

Two presenters from the University of Idaho, one from data science and one from philosophy, bringing complementary views on how AI works and how to think clearly with it.

Nathan Layman

University of Idaho

Nathan Layman

Lead presenter, Part 1. Data Scientist, University of Idaho

nlayman@uidaho.edu

Brief bio

Dr. Nathan Layman is a Data Scientist at the University of Idaho, where he architects data lakehouse infrastructure and develops AI-assisted workflows for research administration. He leads data engineering efforts for the NSF-funded AI4RA project, building open-source tools that integrate institutional research data. His research applies machine learning to complex biological and public health challenges, with expertise in computer vision, natural language processing, and Bayesian modeling. He co-founded the AI4RA blog and has delivered multiple national conference presentations on scaling AI adoption in research administration. He holds a PhD in Biology from Washington State University.

Bert Baumgaertner

University of Idaho

Bert Baumgaertner

Co-presenter, Part 2. Department of Philosophy, University of Idaho

bbaum@uidaho.edu

Brief bio

TODO: Bert, add a short bio here (about 100 words). Suggested threads: philosophy, logic, and decision theory; the NARC and MARC reasoning puzzles and the Narrate tool; structured ethical discussion workshops; game-based learning for critical thinking.