Release: NSF, Simons Foundation launch $20 million National AI Research Institute in Astronomy

A large multi-institutional collaboration, including the University of Chicago and led by Northwestern University, has received a $20 million grant to develop and apply new artificial intelligence (AI) tools to astrophysics research and deep space exploration.

Jointly funded by the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation, the highly competitive grant will establish the NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI, pronounced "sky"). SkAI is one of two National AI Research Institutes in Astronomy announced Sept. 18.

The new institute will unite researchers from multiple disciplines to develop innovative, trustworthy AI tools for astronomy, which will be used to pursue breakthrough discoveries by analyzing large astronomy datasets, transform physics-based simulations, and more. With unprecedentedly large sky surveys poised to launch, including from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, astronomers will require smarter, more efficient tools to accelerate the mining and interpretation of increasingly large datasets. SkAI will play a crucial role in developing and refining these tools.

"The institute's overarching goal is to bring together astrophysicists and AI researchers to solve fundamental challenges in astronomy that require critical advances in AI, thereby driving innovation and discovery in both fields," said UChicago Professor and Chair of Astronomy and Astrophysics Joshua Frieman, Co-PI and Associate Director of Knowledge Transfer for SkAI. "While AI is increasingly part of our everyday lives, the institute will focus on developing AI tools that are reliable and trustworthy enough to be used for rigorous astronomy research, in the process training a new generation of interdisciplinary leaders."

Envelope-pushing community

In addition to Frieman, UChicago's SkAI leadership includes Professor of Statistics and Computer Science Rebecca Willett as Co-PI and Associate Director for Research (AI). Executive Director of the Data Science Institute David Uminsky will serve as Senior Personnel and Co-Lead for Undergraduate Education (Satellite Network) and Broadening Participation.