New Center Launched for Frontiers Science in AI & Deep Learning

On January 18th, a launch event for the Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning was held at NYU Shanghai, along with its first advisory committee meeting.

The center, founded in 2023, is supported by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and affiliated with NYU Shanghai’s Department of Computer Science, Data Science, and Engineering. The center focuses on the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning and explores the mathematical foundation behind AI by intersecting with mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other disciplines. It now has over 20 full-time researchers, with Chinese Academy of Sciences academician E Weinan as its Advisory Committee chair.

At the launch, NYU Shanghai Chancellor Tong Shijun welcomed the participants and thanked them for their great support for the University and the Center. Tong spoke proudly of NYU Shanghai’s first decade of achievements and the advances it has made  toward becoming one of the world’s elite research universities. “In the coming decade, we’ll leverage our strengths, combining education with research and strive for more impactful research achievements,” he said. “The establishment of the Frontiers Science Center is a major component of the university’s research layout.” 

Fan Renhua, representing the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, congratulated the Center’s establishment and introduced its founding background, missions, and future directions, adding that he hopes the Center will carry out leading research that targets the country’s major scientific challenges and cultivate strong research teams to better serve the needs for scientific advancement.

NYU Shanghai Interim Dean of Computer Science, Data Science, and Engineering Nasir Memon gave an overview of the center’s work over the past year and shared its plans for the coming years as it tackles the goal of building the next generation of AI with research focused in three directions: “Explainable, Adaptive, and Human-Centered AI,” “Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning and AI,” and “AI for Science and Society.”

Tong Shijun and Nasir Memon, joined by Fan Renhua, E Weinan, and other experts, unveiled the plaque for the center. Tong issued letters of appointment to the advisory committee members on behalf of the University.

Tied around its three research themes, the center has built up three major research teams accordingly. NYU Shanghai Assistant Professor of Computer Science Zhao Chen, Assistant Professor of Data Science Ling Shuyang, and Assistant Professor of Chemistry William Glover presented their teams’ research work in 2023 with the themes of “Towards Trustworthy Foundation Models”, “Mathematics of Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence”, and “AI for Science” respectively, and shared future research planning. 

Following the presentations, the advisory committee gave targeted advice to each team and shared their thoughts on the center’s overall development path. Committee members encouraged the center to keep leveraging NYU Shanghai’s strengths in international collaboration, while also extending local connections with domestic academic institutions and industries, and conducting more top-tier research projects to better establish its academic impact.