Ohio State researchers to lead national teams exploring science, AI innovation

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Ohio State researchers to lead national teams exploring science, AI innovation

'Genesis Mission' funded by $293 million from U.S. Department of Energy

The Ohio State University continues to build momentum as a national leader in artificial intelligence research and innovation. This week, two teams led by Ohio State researchers joined a $293 million initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to harness AI for breakthroughs in energy dominance, discovery science and national security.

The Genesis Mission is designed to double America's scientific productivity through DOE's world-class scientific capabilities, advanced AI, high-performance computing and the nation's leading researchers. The goal of the mission is to transform how scientific discovery is conducted and continue to grow the nation's leadership in technology and discovery.

"We are pleased that researchers from two Ohio State-led teams have been selected through the U.S. Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, a groundbreaking initiative that seeks to accelerate scientific discovery through the use of artificial intelligence," said John M. Horack, Ohio State's vice president for research.

The DOE invites interdisciplinary teams to leverage novel artificial intelligence models and frameworks to address over 26 national science and technology challenges spanning advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear energy and quantum information science.

Phase one provides small teams with $500,000 to $750,000 to test initial AI concepts, models and workflows over nine months. Leading two of the projects are Ohio State researchers Roland Kawakami, physics professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Han-Wei Shen, professor of computer science and engineering in the College of Engineering.

"America has no shortage of bold ideas or talented scientists, and the response to the Genesis Mission proves that," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. "The remarkable number of high-quality proposals we received demonstrates that America's innovation pipeline is strong, and it points to even greater opportunities for future investment and continued expansion of the Genesis Mission portfolio."

Participating research teams were selected through a rigorous merit review process, DOE officials said.

The projects led by Ohio State are:

• AI for Orbital Electronics Materials and Manufacturing. Kawakami is the lead principal investigator and is joined by researchers at the University of Southern California, Yale University and Argonne National Laboratory. Intel joins the team as the industry partner.
• ROBIN-NET: RObust BIdirectional PINNs for Accelerated Complex Flow Modeling and Discovery. Shen is joined by research teams from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The industry partner for the project is NVIDIA.

Teams selected for phase one are eligible for phase two, which will include the opportunity for $6-15 million in grant funding over three years. Ohio State's Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge (ERIK) is assisting the teams with the application process.

"These awards underscore Ohio State's leadership in AI, advanced computing and domain science and demonstrate the vital role our researchers play in accelerating discovery that will benefit Ohio, the nation and the world," Horack said.

The awards build on Ohio State's growing reputation as a powerhouse in AI research, innovation and student experience. Recent highlights include:

• AI Fluency, the nation's leading, groundbreaking initiative to integrate artificial intelligence throughout students' educational experience. All Ohio State students will become "bilingual" - fluent in both their major field of study and the application of AI in that area.
• Buckeye BioLaunch leverages the university's scale and research strength to accelerate therapeutic discovery, development and commercialization. Buckeye BioLaunch aims to support between 10 and 20 AI-driven screening projects annually that will drive a robust pipeline of therapeutics advancing toward commercialization.
• AI^(X) Hub at The Ohio State University, a collaborative hub dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence research and innovation across disciplines, including healthcare.

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