Mexican to pursue MIT doctorate that accepts 1 out of every 100

Although they might seem like opposing disciplines, for Alejandro Salinas de León, a graduate of Engineering Physics and Law at Tecnológico de Monterrey, engineering should not be separated from the social sciences.

In August, he will begin his doctoral studies in Social and Engineering Systems (SES), a program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that admitted eight students this year out of nearly 800 applicants.

“I’ve always believed that technology will help us become more human,” said the Monterrey native and graduate of the Monterrey campus.

Since graduating with degrees in both fields in 2023, the 27-year-old Tec graduate has been conducting research to promote ethical and responsible uses of artificial intelligence (AI).

During this graduate program, in accordance with the Ph.D. curriculum, Alejandro will design solutions to socially relevant problems by combining analytical tools and methodologies from engineering and the social sciences. 

The Tec graduate spoke with CONECTA about the admissions process for this program and the professional and academic path that led him to MIT.

Research in engineering and social sciences at MIT

Administered by MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, the Ph.D. program in Social and Engineering Systemslasts five years, divided into two phases: coursework and research.

As part of the program, Alejandro will take courses in economics, social sciences, computer science, and courses specific to his project, which are taught by professors from all MIT schools, a unique feature of this graduate program.

At the same time, he will publish articles in scientific journals starting in the first semester on topics of interest that promote decision-making in society and government by using predictive analytics to reduce uncertainty.

The lawyer and engineer plans to take artificial intelligence courses from professors affiliated with companies such as Ferrari and FIFA as well as develop projects with researchers at Harvard Law School, which works closely with MIT.

“This program is interdisciplinary in nature. The idea isn’t to be good at engineering or the social sciences but to be an expert in both and in the area you want to focus on,” he explained.

Before enrolling at MIT, Alejandro received scholarship offers to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at Princeton University and Brown University, both of which are considered Ivy League institutions due to their competitiveness and academic prestige.

He was also selected to receive the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship from Stanford University, a leadership development program that covers graduate studies at the university.

After thinking it over for months, the Tec graduate decided on the Social and Engineering Systems program at MIT because he considered it a unique program that aligns with his goals. 

He will pursue his graduate studies with the Vice Chancellor Inclusive Excellence Fellowship and the BREIT Fellowship, both of which are full scholarships awarded to students who stand out in the application process for their excellence and achievements. 

Choosing MIT to develop his econometric skills

As part of the academic program at MIT, Alejandro plans to continue developing projects that bridge the fields of law and artificial intelligence.

In addition, he seeks to enhance his research with tools and knowledge from courses in economics, a discipline in which MIT ranks second in the world, according to the 2026 QS Rankings.

“I want to learn a lot about economics. It’s a field that has evolved significantly in terms of understanding the effects of artificial intelligence because it requires strong skills in mathematics and analysis,” he explained.

In addition to five interviews and a review of his academic background, to apply for the doctoral program, the Tec graduate went through a Statement of Purpose process in which he had to present his doctoral proposal to different audiences.

In this case, he wrote a letter to a judge explaining the implementation of artificial intelligence systems in the courts.

Alejandro wants to focus his academic project on the regulation and implementation of AI for access to justice in Mexico.

“A lot of the work as a lawyer these days involves copying templates and drafting official letters. For me, technology is meant to free us from these mechanical tasks so we can focus on the real reason we study law, which is to defend people.”

Seeking algorithmic justice

Alejandro’s ideas made their way to Stanford University in 2023, where he spent the last three years pursuing graduate studies in Natural Language Processing (NLP), a research group focused on algorithms for processing, generating, and understanding human languages.

Together with Professor Julián Nyarko, he conducted research on algorithmic justice, an ethical principle for the application of artificial intelligence to the law.

“Algorithmic justice is about understanding if the models we’re developing are fair to everyone,” he explained.

“Algorithmic justice is about understanding if the models we’re developing are fair to everyone.”

Among his findings, Alejandro published studies demonstrating biases in AI models. 

He found that gender and race are variables which influence the responses provided by generative artificial intelligence systems.

For example, the study explains that if a woman asks the AI for recommendations on how to ask for a raise, the system is more likely to suggest a lower amount than if a man were to ask the same question.

Another finding of his studies, reported by Forbes and Reuters, revealed that law professors in the United States prefer answers generated by AI. 

He has also worked with law firms and companies such as Harvey, an artificial intelligence firm, to assess the attributes that lawyers want and need when implementing AI.

“I’d like to return to Mexico to put what I’ve learned into practice. The courts are overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases and lawsuits coming in. But, if we want to implement AI to improve our efficiency, we must first understand how to do it right.”
 

“It was the best combination”

The first time Alejandro considered the intersection of technology and law was in 2019, after taking a crash course on Wolfram Alpha programming as part of the Tec’s educational model.

He developed a method for predicting legal rulings based on text, using principles of artificial intelligence.

By that time, he had been studying Engineering Physics and Law at Monterrey campus for nearly two years. These were majors he originally chose with no specific goal in mind other than an interest in exploring both disciplines.

“I feel like it was the best combination, even though it’s very unusual,” said the graduate, who holds degrees in engineering and law.

Later in his studies, he completed an internship at Facebook, now META, as part of the Tec Semester, an academic term during which students at the institution specialize their studies through exchange programs, internships, or academic concentrations.

In 2022, Alejandro traveled to the company’s offices in California, United States, where he worked as a data engineer to improve systems that use machine learning for Reels and Stories recommendations. 

At the same time, he was taking his final law courses, as he was about to graduate. 

At that time, the Tec graduate was grateful to have had the support of his professors in both degree programs, who stood by him and encouraged him to continue his mission of using technology in the legal profession.

“The Tec has a very high-quality faculty: many of the professors work in the industry, while others are academics, so you learn different things from them. What’s more, they’re open-minded and compassionate,” he acknowledged.

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