URI celebrates World Quantum Day on April 11th 2025 with opening remarks from Senator Reed. Details are available here: https://physics.uri.edu/2025wqd/
URI Speed Networking Event for Graduate & Senior Students
Invitation: URI Speed Networking Event for Graduate & Senior Students (AI, Quantum, and Computationally Enhanced Research & Innovation)
Friday April 11, 2025, 9:30-noon
Galanti Lounge, 3rd Floor, URI Library
by
Center for Computational Research, ITS (Joan Peckham & Gaurav Khanna)
URI Innovation Lab (Jim McGwin)
URI Division of Research and Economic Development (Karen Markin)
PURPOSE: To assist graduate and senior students engaged in research and/or innovation at URI to find collaborators from across campus, and to attend to increased need for interdisciplinary, convergence1, use-inspired2, and data enabled research and innovation.
APPROACH: This event will provide a means for students of all disciplines who are active in research and/or innovation to meet and find collaborators from other disciplines. This includes:
- Student researchers or innovators of any discipline searching for partners with analytical, and/or computational expertise, or
- Student researchers or innovators with applied and/or theoretical data, quantum computing, mathematics, statistics or AI/analysis/management expertise wishing to partner with researchers and/or innovators from other disciplines.
The goal is to explore interdisciplinary research collaborations that can strengthen research/innovation projects and better prepare participants for careers that increasingly call for interdisciplinary data and computationally enhanced collaborations. URI students of all disciplines who are actively engaged in research and innovation are invited.
PROCESS: We will use a structured and timed speed dating approach that will give each scholar short segments of time to exchange their expertise, interests, and innovative ideas with other participants. At the end we will provide a pizza and beverages, but all will be welcome to stay and further discuss promising collaborations.
Registration by Friday, April 4, 2025 (So that we can order food): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSflirdAKzDdSL-iJiU9m38gcQ1W3dTua78YkJTt9aB78AdnlQ/viewform?usp=dialog
Questions? Contact jpeckham@uri.edu (Joan Peckham)
[1] Convergence Research (https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/learn/research-types/learn-about-convergence-research): It is driven by a specific and compelling problem, whether that problem arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs. It shows deep integration across disciplines. Convergence research intentionally brings together intellectually diverse researchers to develop effective ways of communicating across disciplines. As experts from different disciplines pursue a common research challenge, their knowledge, theories, methods, data and research communities increasingly intermingle.
[2] Use-Inspired Research – From NSF solicitation on AI Institutes – NSF 22502 (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22502/nsf22502.htm): We use the phrase “use-inspired” rather than “applied” to emphasize that this solicitation seeks to support work that goes beyond merely applying known techniques and adds new knowledge and understanding in both foundational AI and use-inspired domains. Ideally there is a virtuous cycle between foundational and use-inspired research, where foundational results provide a starting point for use-inspired research, and the results from use-inspired research are generalized and made foundational.
AI Big Data Forum: Quantum Computing and AI
Two speakers:
Len Kahn, Chair of Physics, URI – Hear how we are preparing for quantum computing at URI
Stephen Bach, Computer Science, Brown University:
It’s All About Data: The Promises and Limitations of Recent Developments in AI
Talk Abstract: This talk will overview the evolution of AI over the last five years, through the lens of machine learning and large language models. Accessible to scientists with a general computing background, we will discuss the key technical developments that have enabled recent advances. Many of them are data-centric, meaning that the development of datasets has been at least as important as advances in model architectures and algorithms. The centrality of data means that further AI advances are also limited by data, particularly in specialized domains requiring subject matter expertise. I will discuss these challenges and share some of our lab’s recent work on overcoming them.
Bio: Stephen Bach is an assistant professor of computer science at Brown University. His research focuses on weakly supervised, zero-shot, and few-shot machine learning. The goal of his work is to create methods and systems that drive down the labor cost of AI. He was a core contributor to the Snorkel framework, which was recognized with a Best of VLDB 2018 award. Snorkel is used in production at numerous Fortune 500 companies for programmatic training data curation. He also co-led the team that developed the T0 family of large language models. The team was also one of the proposers of instruction tuning, which is the process of fine-tuning language models with supervised training to follow instructions. Instruction tuning is now a standard part of training large language models. Stephen is also an advisor to Snorkel AI, a company that provides software and services for data-centric AI.
Nov 22nd 12pm Galanti Lounge (Library)
Quantum Computer at the MGHPCC!
The Healey-Driscoll administration has awarded nearly $5 million to establish the nation’s first Quantum Computing Complex at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) in Holyoke. Partnering with QuEra Computing Inc., the two-year project will deploy a state-of-the-art neutral atom quantum computer, facilitating open-access research, hardware innovation, and hands-on training for students.
The $16 million project is co-funded by $11 million in matching funds from QuEra. MGHPCC, with its experience in national computing infrastructure initiatives, will manage access to the QuEra System. The New England Research Cloud will make the quantum computer accessible to academic researchers.
Speed Networking Event AI, Quantum, and Computationally Enhanced Research & Innovation
Invitation, URI Speed Networking Event
AI, Quantum, and Computationally Enhanced Research & Innovation
Friday October 11, 2024, 9:30-noon
Galanti Lounge, 3rd Floor, URI Library
Center for Computational Research, ITS (Joan Peckham & Gaurav Khanna)
URI Innovation Lab (Jim McGwin)
College of Business, Business Analytics and AI (Drew Zhang)
URI Division of Research and Economic Development (Karen Markin)
PURPOSE: To support scholars at URI to respond to solicitations that increasingly request interdisciplinary, convergence1, use-inspired2, and data enabled research.
APPROACH: This event will provide a means for scholars of all disciplines with computational needs, and applied & theoretical data, quantum computing, mathematics, statistics and AI/analysis/management scholars to meet and explore interdisciplinary research collaborations that can result in publications, external funding and/or startups. URI scholars and students of all disciplines who are actively engaged in research and innovation are invited.
PROCESS: We will use a structured and timed speed dating approach that will give each scholar short segments of time to exchange their expertise, interests, and innovative ideas with other participants. Snack and beverages will be available upon arrival. At the end we will provide a grab and go lunch, but all will be welcome to stay and further discuss promising collaborations.
Registration by Friday, October 4, 2024 (So that we can order food): https://forms.gle/YHsFW3bRhhjgsw7B8
Questions? Contact jpeckham@uri.edu (Joan Peckham)
1 Convergence Research (https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/learn/research-types/learn-about-convergence-research): It is driven by a specific and compelling problem, whether that problem arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs. It shows deep integration across disciplines. Convergence research intentionally brings together intellectually diverse researchers to develop effective ways of communicating across disciplines. As experts from different disciplines pursue a common research challenge, their knowledge, theories, methods, data and research communities increasingly intermingle.
2 Use-Inspired Research – From NSF solicitation on AI Institutes – NSF 22502 (https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22502/nsf22502.htm): We use the phrase “use-inspired” rather than “applied” to emphasize that this solicitation seeks to support work that goes beyond merely applying known techniques and adds new knowledge and understanding in both foundational AI and use-inspired domains. Ideally there is a virtuous cycle between foundational and use-inspired research, where foundational results provide a starting point for use-inspired research, and the results from use-inspired research are generalized and made foundational.
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R, Python, SAS, SPSS, Unity, Bioinformatics and more workshop recordings available!
Our workshop program for the semester has wrapped up. Here you can find the recordings of all the workshops we ran including R, SAS, SPSS, Python, Bioinformatics, Unity and others: http://its.uri.edu/research-training
ITS Research Computing & Center for Computational Research move to Library 227
IMPORTANT NOTICE: ITS Research Computing & Center for Computational Research have now moved to Library 227.
Assistant Professor Job Opening — Quantum Information & Computing
The Physics Department at the University of Rhode Island (URI) invites applications for a full-time tenure-track position of an Assistant Professor of Physics beginning in the fall of 2024, specifically for a theorist or computational physicist working in the field of Quantum Information Science (QIS). The Department has recently established multiple new QIS-related degree programs and research groups that include Drs. Vanita Srinivasa and Wenchao Ge. URI has also secured access to IBM’s cutting-edge quantum resources, including the 433-qubit Osprey system.
Considerations will be given to applicants who can show expertise and creative ideas for their role as researcher, mentor, and teacher in the QIS program. Points of contact with ongoing research programs in astrophysics/gravitation, biological physics, nonlinear optics, statistical physics, surface and thin film physics and ultrafast spectroscopy are a plus. Applicants working or interested in quantum algorithms, quantum information theory, and the interface of QIS and astrophysics/gravitation are strongly encouraged to apply. The Physics Department, College of Arts and Sciences and URI are committed to building and supporting a diverse, inclusive, and equitable community of students and scholars.
The successful candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate physics courses, advise undergraduate and graduate students toward BS, MS, and PhD degrees, conduct independent and collaborative research, with an expectation of external funding, and be active in service at the levels of Department, College, and University. The successful candidate will also seek collaborations with other researchers at URI including those in Computer Science, Mathematics, Graduate School of Oceanography, Engineering and the Center for Computational Research.
The University of Rhode Island is the State’s flagship land/sea/space grant research university with an enrollment of approximately 18,000 students. The Physics Department has 22 full-time faculty/staff members and offers BS, MS and PhD degrees. URI is in Kingston, RI — a beautiful seaside community that is well connected by car and rail located about an hour away from Boston and 3 hours from New York City.