Syed Bahauddin Alam, an assistant professor in the Department of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has been named to a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee. He has been appointed as one of the eleven (11) members of the committee. The committee is tasked with exploring the state of the art of artificial intelligence (AI) foundation models, especially pertaining to their use within the United States Department of Energy (DOE)—and how to support the field as it expands. This committee brings together leading experts from institutions across the nation, including the California Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and other organizations.
"It is both surreal and a tremendous honor to be appointed as one of the 11 experts nationwide to serve on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee on AI ‘Foundation Models for Scientific Discovery and Innovation: Opportunities Across the Department of Energy,’” Alam said. “This appointment is a major professional recognition of my work in AI-driven computing for nuclear systems and an opportunity to influence national policy and research directions in critical energy domains.
“Collaborating with leading experts in this field will not only advance responsible and impactful AI applications in scientific research but also marks a significant step forward in my academic career, reinforcing my commitment to cutting-edge innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration."
The study will assess the state of the art in foundation models and their use across science research domains relevant to the Department of Energy mission. According to the National Academies website, the study will address the following questions:
- What are some exemplar use cases where foundation models could impact scientific discovery and innovation?
- How can foundation models be used in conjunction with traditional modeling, computational, and data science approaches?
- How can challenges such as verification, validation, uncertainty quantification, and reproducibility best be addressed to advance trustworthy foundation models?
- What are priority research areas for investments to advance the development and use of foundation models in scientific applications? What are the tradeoffs in investing in foundation models versus other mathematical and computational approaches?
“Dr. Alam is one of the brightest minds in this field, and this committee selection is further proof of that,” said Rizwan Uddin, professor and department head of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering at Illinois Grainger Engineering. “We are proud to have Dr. Alam in NPRE and look forward to future accolades and breakthroughs from him.”
Alam is the second faculty member from Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering at Illinois Grainger Engineering to serve on such a committee in recent years, as associate professor Zahra Mohaghegh made use of her safety expertise to help recommend improvements to the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard.
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For more information: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/foundation-models-for-scientific-discovery-and-innovation-opportunities-across-the-department-of-energy