The Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Interactions (IAIFI), a major research institute for which Tufts is a key partner, has received renewed support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for another five years, increasing annual funding from $4 million to $4.98 million.
The renewal marks a new phase for the institute, which explores how artificial intelligence can open new ways of doing physics and how physics can help shape better AI systems.
Launched in 2020 as part of NSF’s Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program, IAIFI brings Tufts researchers together with colleagues from MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, and Boston University. Its work spans particle physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics, and foundational AI, with researchers using machine learning to accelerate discovery in physics while also drawing on physics to make AI systems more principled, interpretable, and data-efficient.
At Tufts, two faculty members have helped shape that work: Taritree Wongjirad, associate professor of physics and astronomy in the School of Arts and Sciences, who serves on the IAIFI institute board, and Shuchin Aeron, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the School of Engineering, who is a member of the fellowship committee.
“Tufts has made a huge impact on IAIFI," said Mike Williams, IAIFI interim director. "Senior Investigators Taritree Wongjirad and Shuchin Aeron have been key contributors to both the institute’s scientific direction and its culture, especially through their work on AI methods for neutrino experiments. Tufts also hosted IAIFI’s first summer school and workshop. Our partnership with Tufts has been vital to IAIFI’s success.”
For Wongjirad, one of IAIFI’s most important contributions has been its impact on students. “Through the institute, students get exposed to a much wider slice of physics and AI than any one university or experiment could offer them on its own,” he says. “They build a scientific community that extends well beyond Tufts, contribute to the rapidly growing research at the intersection of physics and AI, and meet people in the industry. That gives them opportunities they wouldn't have otherwise.”
As a member of the NSF Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes program, IAIFI is part of a nationwide effort to advance AI-driven discovery and innovation.
The renewed funding will support continued research, training, and collaboration at the intersection of AI and fundamental physics. As Wongjirad puts it, “The renewal lets us take what we've learned and weave AI into every stage of tackling physics. We're just getting started.”