The MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing has announced the launch of a brand new program to support postdocs conducting research on the intersection of artificial intelligence and particular disciplines.
The Tayebati Postdoctoral Fellowship Program will give attention to AI for addressing probably the most difficult problems in select scientific research areas, and on AI for music composition and performance. This system will welcome an inaugural cohort of as much as six postdocs for a one-year term, with the potential for renewal for a second term.
Supported by a $20 million gift from Parviz Tayebati, an entrepreneur and executive with a broad technical background and experience with startup corporations, this system will empower top postdocs by providing an environment that facilitates their academic and skilled development and enables them to pursue ambitious discoveries. “I’m proud to support a fellowship program that champions interdisciplinary research and fosters collaboration across departments. My hope is that this gift will encourage a brand new generation of students whose research advances knowledge and nurtures innovation that transcends traditional boundaries,” says Tayebati.
“Artificial intelligence holds tremendous potential to speed up breakthroughs in science and ignite human creativity,” says Dan Huttenlocher, dean of the Schwarzman College of Computing and Henry Ellis Warren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “This latest postdoc program is a remarkable opportunity to cultivate exceptional bilingual talent combining AI and one other discipline. This system will offer fellows the prospect to interact in research on the forefront of each AI and one other field, collaborating with leading experts across disciplines. We’re deeply thankful to Parviz for his foresight in supporting the event of researchers on this increasingly necessary area.”
Candidates accepted into this system will work on projects that encompass one in all six disciplinary areas: biology/bioengineering, brain and cognitive sciences, chemistry/chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, music, and physics. Each fellow can have a school mentor within the disciplinary area in addition to in AI.
The Tayebati Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is a key component of a bigger focus of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing aimed toward fostering modern research in computing. As a part of this focus, the faculty has three postdoctoral programs, each of which provides training and mentorship to fellows, broadens their research horizons, and helps them develop expertise in computing, including its intersection with other disciplines.
Other programs include MEnTorEd Opportunities in Research (METEOR), which was established by the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 2020. Recently expanded to span MIT through the faculty, the goal of METEOR is to support exceptional scholars in computer science and AI and to broaden participation in the sphere.
As well as, the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC), a cross-cutting initiative of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, offers researchers exploring how computing is reshaping society the chance to participate as a SERC postdoc. SERC postdocs engage in a lot of activities all year long, including leading interdisciplinary teams of MIT undergraduate and graduate students, often called SERC Scholars, to work on research projects investigating such topics as generative AI and democracy, combating deepfakes, examining data ownership, and the societal impact of gamification, amongst others.
