10 Amazon AI and data science leaders
Swaminathan Sivasubramanian, VP, AWS Agentic AI at Amazon Web Services, heads this list of Amazon AI and data science leaders, which also includes a vice president of machine learning, heads of AI and science groups, and directors of machine learning, AI/ML and data science. A reader can learn how AI and data science leaders work at Amazon from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Avnish Sikka
LinkedInExperience: Director, AI/ML - Same-Day Shopping Delivery Experiences · Amazon
Avnish Sikka has been Director, AI/ML - Same-Day Shopping Delivery Experiences at Amazon since October 2025, enabling teams to build systems that translate AI/ML breakthroughs into measurable customer and business impact. Avnish Sikka held Director AI/ML - Alexa+ at Amazon from 2020 to 2025 and Sr. Software Development Manager - Alexa AI Natural Understanding, Entity Resolution from 2015 to 2020.
Carl Johan Ragnarsson
LinkedInExperience: Director Data Science · Amazon
Carl Johan Ragnarsson has been Director Data Science at Amazon since April 2026, leading the Marketing Science group for Amazon Music, a group of 50 scientists, data engineers, analysts and product managers. Carl Johan Ragnarsson was Sr Manager, Research Science at Amazon from 2023 to 2026 and Senior Manager, Research Science from 2019 to 2022.
Chongshan Zhang
LinkedInExperience: Director, Machine Learning · Amazon
Chongshan Zhang has been Director, Machine Learning at Amazon since April 2023, based in the Greater Seattle Area. Chongshan Zhang was Sr. Manager, Machine Learning Scientist at Amazon from 2017 to 2023, Manager, Machine Learning Scientist from 2013 to 2017 and Senior Research Scientist from 2011 to 2013.
Deepak Ramanathan
LinkedInExperience: Director of Data Science · Amazon
Deepak Ramanathan has been Director of Data Science at Amazon since July 2021, and the profile headline describes a data science and ML leader who has built ML platforms. Deepak Ramanathan was Chief Data Officer at eHealth, Inc. from 2020 to 2021 and Vice President - Data Science and Analytics at Esurance from 2017 to 2020.
Gert R. G. Lanckriet
LinkedInExperience: Head of AI and Machine Learning, Global Media and Entertainment at Amazon (Director) · Amazon
Gert R. G. Lanckriet has been Head of AI and Machine Learning, Global Media and Entertainment at Amazon (Director) since January 2025, and describes leading AI/ML research and engineering across global teams. Gert R. G. Lanckriet was Head of Machine Learning and Personalization @ Amazon Music (Director) from 2020 to 2025 and Head of Machine Learning @ Amazon Music from 2017 to 2020.
Kai Wei
LinkedInExperience: Head of Science, Agentic AI Amazon · Amazon
Kai Wei has been Head of Science, Agentic AI Amazon at Amazon since October 2022, and the profile headline adds advancing AI and foundation models. Kai Wei also held Senior Applied Scientist at Amazon from 2018 to 2022 and holds a PhD in Computational Social Science from the University of Pittsburgh.
Rajeev R. Rastogi
LinkedInExperience: Vice President & Machine Learning · Amazon
Rajeev R. Rastogi has been Vice President & Machine Learning at Amazon since September 2019, a role the listing tags at Executive level. Rajeev R. Rastogi was Director, Machine Learning at Amazon from 2012 to 2019, a Research role at Director level, and Vice President at Yahoo from 2008 to 2012.
Ron Benson
LinkedInExperience: Director of Machine Learning · Amazon
Ron Benson has been Director of Machine Learning at Amazon since April 2017, and describes working at the intersection of consumer applications, big data and machine learning. Ron Benson was VP Engineering at Imgur from 2015 to 2016 and VP of Engineering at Walmart from 2011 to 2014.
Swaminathan Sivasubramanian
LinkedInExperience: VP, AWS Agentic AI · Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Swaminathan Sivasubramanian has been VP, AWS Agentic AI at Amazon Web Services (AWS) since March 2025, and was VP, AI and Data at AWS from 2022 to 2025. Swaminathan Sivasubramanian was General Manager, NoSQL and Analytics at AWS from 2012 to 2015 and has sat on the UC Berkeley EECS External Advisory Board since March 2026.
Vineet S. Chaoji
LinkedInExperience: Director, Machine Learning · Amazon
Vineet S. Chaoji has been Director, Machine Learning at Amazon since October 2024, based in Bengaluru. Vineet S. Chaoji was Sr. Manager, Applied Science at Amazon from 2019 to 2024, Manager, Applied Science from 2016 to 2019 and Sr. Machine Learning Scientist from 2015 to 2016.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's area, such as AI services, applied machine learning in a retail or media business, or data science for marketing, to the decision you face. Check when each person's current role started to judge how recent their view of the work is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How do you decide which machine learning work belongs in a central group and which sits inside a business line?
- 02What has worked for you in moving a model from a science team into a production service?
- 03How do you judge whether an AI or data science investment paid off?
Reaching Amazon AI and data science leaders
How can I contact one of these Amazon AI and data science leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 2 companies: Amazon and Amazon Web Services (AWS), based on profile data retrieved on October 26, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
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Can an AI agent ask one of these Amazon AI and data science leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.