UAlbany leverages AI supercomputing power to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges in cybersecurity, climate science, health sciences and emergency preparedness. From post-pandemic health data analytics and robotic surgery to K-12 education and predicting severe weather, we are developing AI systems worthy of human trust.
$75M
NYS Funding
The Albany AI Supercomputing Initiative is supported by a $75 million investment from New York State. UAlbany will work to significantly expand the artificial intelligence supercomputing resources available in New York for teaching and research well beyond traditional STEM applications, including the arts and humanities.
The AI+X program will build the next generation of diverse, well-trained AI researchers and practitioners by infusing AI into all disciplines and adopting AI-assisted instructional methodologies. Students will gain access to AI knowledge and experiential learning through classroom and laboratory courses, micro-credentials, lab opportunities and research. Learn more about AI in Education at UAlbany
Our vibrant partnerships with government, education and industry provide opportunities to engage scientists, researchers, teachers and students, cultivating an innovation and investment ecosystem that will strengthen the Upstate economy and produce the highly skilled AI workforce New York needs.
UAlbany has AI and cybersecurity experts in diverse disciplines - computer science, information security, mathematics, electrical engineering, philosophy, public health, and emergency preparedness. UAlbany AI research is supported by the DoD, NSF, NIJ, DoE, NOAA, NSA, FEMA, NYSERDA, NYS DoT and several Global 500 corporations and private foundations.
AI and Machine Learning for Weather Prediction and Forecasting
UAlbany, with its advanced mesonet, is a world leader in atmospheric science and climate research.
Our researchers have been awarded $2.4 million as a partner in the NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography (AI2ES), led by the University of Oklahoma, to develop AI-based technologies that will be used to better monitor and predict winter weather. AI2ES is one of the first 7 NSF National AI Institutes launched in 2020.
Through a partnership with IBM, UAlbany's climate and weather experts are working to improve weather-based decision-making for New Yorkers. They are focused on the impact of weather and climate changes on transportation, renewable energy generation and sea level, which is rising across the globe due to the melting of polar caps. These projects focus on:
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Harmful algal bloom (HAB) detection and prediction in lakes and reservoirs
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Winter road weather maintenance and operations
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Impacts of severe flooding events (including improving advanced warning)
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Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) collaboration utilizing NYS Mesonet data and IBM forecasting models and methods
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Renewable energy (solar and wind) generation forecasting
Emergency Preparedness
UAlbany is leading innovative research as well as collaborating with other universities to explore how artificial intelligence can be deployed to improve crisis decision-making to save lives and property. AI can be utilized to help manage a host of issues, including critical infrastructure disruptions, natural disasters and public health crises.
We will make use of state-of-the-art UAlbany ETEC complex, with its unique situation room to replicate emergency operations scenarios. The facility allows for testing, simulating and validating first responder mobilization and end-user interactions with decision support systems.
Human capacity for information processing in crises and emergency management will be substantially enhanced through artificial intelligence, large-data science and information communication technology.
AI-augmented crisis decision-making can improve outcomes nationwide and beyond, protecting lives, property and trust in public institutions.
Trustworthy AI
Artificial intelligence has tremendous potential to increase efficiency and assist humans in all aspects of their lives. Before it becomes widely accepted, it needs to be deemed trustworthy. What structural and design features of an AI system make it trustworthy or untrustworthy? UAlbany’s philosophy, psychology, and mathematics experts are investigating human functions in moral contexts to determine the trustworthiness of artificial agents.
Researchers received $100k in funding from the SUNY-IBM AI Collaborative Research Alliance to develop the foundations of a trustworthiness assessment framework for AI-driven systems. The projects seek to establish artificial intelligence that intrinsically realizes human values with implementations that empower people rather than manipulate them.
Cybersecurity
Intelligent security and privacy analysis are critical to thwarting social engineering attacks. UAlbany researchers are using automated techniques to assess the security and privacy behavior of applications. AI is essential to analyze the enormous body of communications data and recognize ominous patterns to protect against impending threats to cyber and national security. They are developing investigative tools that detect social engineering attacks and engage perpetrators in real-time conversation and disrupt nefarious plans.
Health Sciences
Artificial intelligence and simulation, including agent-based modeling, system dynamics modeling, and social network analysis, provide important insights into the complex interrelationships that drive population-level outcomes. Traditionally applied to infectious disease modeling, UAlbany researchers are applying these algorithms to other problems such as violence, mental health, and chronic disease.
In addition, our researchers have developed robust and efficient machine learning algorithms for application domains including the prediction of tumor growth and robotic surgery, allowing surgeons to complete precision procedures that would not be possible by hand.
AI Experts
Zheng Yan
Professor & Division Director, Educational Psychology and Methodology
Educational & Counseling Psychology, School of Education
Area of expertise: Cybersecurity
Thenkurussi (Kesh) Kesavadas
Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Executive Council
Area of expertise: Health Sciences
Sanjay Goel
Professor
School of Business, Information Security and Digital Forensics
Area of expertise: Cybersecurity
Robert Fovell
Professor
Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences
Area of expertise: Weather Prediction and Forecasting
Ricky C. Leung
Associate Professor
School of Public Health, Health Policy, Management and Behavior
Area of expertise: Health Sciences
Petko Bogdanov
Associate Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Computer Science
Area of expertise: Emergency Preparedness
Nathaniel Cady
Empire Innovation Professor of Nanobioscience and Executive Director, SUNY Applied Materials Research Institute
The RNA Institute
Area of expertise: Health Sciences
Mustafa Aksoy
Assistant Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Area of expertise: Weather Prediction and Forecasting
Ming-Ching Chang
Associate Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Area of expertise: Trustworthy AI
Mila Gascó-Hernandez
Associate Professor & Research Director for the Center for Technology in Government
Public Administration & Policy, International Affairs, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
Area of expertise:
Melissa Tracy
Associate Professor
School of Public Health, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Area of expertise: Health Sciences
Kara Sulia
Research Faculty, Director of xCITE Lab
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
Area of expertise: Weather Prediction and Forecasting
Jianwei Zhang
Associate Professor
Educational Theory & Practice, School of Education
Area of expertise: AI Technologies for Education
Feng (Johnson) Qian
Associate Professor
School of Public Health, Health Policy, Management and Behavior
Area of expertise: Health Sciences
Fangqun Yu
Research Faculty
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
Area of expertise: Weather Prediction and Forecasting
Dola Saha
Assistant Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Area of expertise: Next Generation Wireless Communications
David Turetsky
Professor of Practice
College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity
Area of expertise: Cybersecurity
Christopher D. Thorncroft
Director, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center and Professor
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences
Area of expertise: Weather Prediction and Forecasting
Chinwe Ekenna
Assistant Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Computer Science
Area of expertise: Health Sciences
Aveek Dutta
Assistant Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Area of expertise: Next Generation xG Wireless Communications
Arnoldas Kurbanovas
Lead Software Engineer - xCITE lab
Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
Area of expertise: Weather Prediction and Forecasting
Amirreza Masoumzadeh
Associate Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Computer Science
Area of expertise: Cybersecurity
Abram Magner
Assistant Professor
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Computer Science
Area of expertise: Deep Learning
