NJIT's Grace Hopper AI Research Institute Launches with $1 Million in Research Proposals

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has taken a significant step in its commitment to advancing artificial intelligence by establishing the Grace Hopper AI Research Institute (GHRI). The institute is a key component of NJIT's $10 million AI Initiative aimed at enhancing the university's capabilities in AI research and applications.

In its inaugural call for research proposals, GHRI received more than $1 million in funding requests. These proposals span a diverse range of departments and fields, including engineering, computer science, mathematics and university operations. This interdisciplinary participation underscores NJIT's strategic emphasis on integrating AI across multiple fields to address complex, real-world challenges.

The submitted projects are currently under review, with funding decisions to be based on merit and adherence to budgetary guidelines. Research efforts are typically designed to span one year, with GHRI maintaining a rolling basis for future proposal submissions to encourage ongoing innovation and collaboration.

"The range of proposals submitted showcases the remarkable creativity and expertise of NJIT’s research community," said Atam Dhawan, senior vice provost for research. "This marks an exciting start, and I look forward to seeing how these projects grow and spark new collaborations across disciplines."

Among the notable proposals is a project led by Jason Wang from the Department of Computer Science and Haimin Wang from the Department of Physics. Their cross-disciplinary research focuses on developing an AI toolbox for multimodal space weather forecasting by leveraging diverse datasets of solar-active region characteristics derived from solar photospheric magnetograms. The AI toolbox aims to integrate data spanning three solar cycles, enabling comprehensive analysis, interpretation and prediction of solar transient events and their precursors. This approach has the potential to significantly enhance our understanding of solar phenomena and improve forecasting accuracy.

The proposal led by Petras Swissler and SangWoo Park from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering aims to develop swarm robots capable of forming adaptive power networks in environments where traditional grids are inaccessible, such as disaster-stricken areas or remote locations. By leveraging advanced AI algorithms, these robots can communicate to establish temporary microgrids, ensuring energy distribution to critical load points. The project includes the creation of open-source tools and novel algorithms, contributing to the fields of swarm robotics and dynamic infrastructure networks.

Lou Kondic of the Department of Mathematical Sciences submitted a proposal on creating network-based methods to measure how particles interact in soft matter systems. The ultimate goal is to connect these interactions to how mixtures of solid particles in a liquid or gas flow and behave under different forces. Such suspensions are often precursors to solid materials like ceramics and cement. By applying machine learning methods to identify key parameters that determine system responses, this work seeks to deepen our understanding of abrupt changes in flow state, which is essential for materials used in numerous applications.

The establishment of GHRI is part of NJIT's broader strategy to position itself as a leader in AI research and application in higher education. This initiative builds upon existing academic and research activities, with NJIT's AI-related research totaling nearly $60 million in 2023 alone. The university aims to leverage its extensive expertise in machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing and robotics to become a major player in AI innovation.

“Our pursuit to harness the transformative potential of artificial intelligence to address pressing global challenges is well underway,” said John Pelesko, provost and senior executive vice president. “The Grace Hopper AI Research Institute exemplifies our dedication to innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, positioning our university as a leader in AI research and application.”

As GHRI begins to allocate funding, these projects exemplify the transformative potential of AI across disciplines. The institute's commitment to fostering high-impact research is poised to contribute significantly to technological advancements and societal benefits.