The Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing at MIT has unveiled an exciting new initiative to boost postdoctoral research at the crossroads of artificial intelligence (AI) and various academic disciplines.
The Tayebati Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is designed to harness AI to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in key scientific areas, as well as in music composition and performance. The program is welcoming its first cohort of up to six postdocs for an initial one-year term, with a potential extension for an additional year.
This innovative initiative is made possible by a generous $20 million donation from Parviz Tayebati, a seasoned entrepreneur with extensive technological expertise and experience in the startup ecosystem. Tayebati emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary research, stating, “I am proud to support a fellowship program that champions collaboration across departments. My aspiration is that this investment inspires a new generation of scholars whose research not only advances knowledge but also fosters innovation across traditional boundaries.”
Dan Huttenlocher, the dean of the Schwarzman College of Computing and Henry Ellis Warren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, adds, “Artificial intelligence has the potential to catalyze breakthroughs in science and stimulate human creativity. This new postdoc program represents a remarkable chance to nurture exceptional talent that combines AI with other disciplines. Fellows will have the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of both AI and their chosen field, collaborating with leading experts.”
Selected candidates will engage in research within one of these six areas: biology/bioengineering, brain and cognitive sciences, chemistry/chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, music, and physics. Each fellow will benefit from mentorship by faculty members in both their specific discipline and AI.
The Tayebati Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is part of a broader initiative at the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing aimed at fostering groundbreaking research in computing. This college currently supports three postdoctoral programs, each focused on providing training and mentorship, expanding research horizons, and enhancing expertise in computing and its intersections with other fields.
Another notable program is MEnTorEd Opportunities in Research (METEOR), launched by MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory in 2021. This program has been expanded college-wide, with a mission to support exceptional scholars in computer science and AI while promoting diversity in the field.
The Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) is also an essential component of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing’s mission. This initiative welcomes researchers investigating the societal impacts of computing through the SERC postdoc program. SERC postdocs lead interdisciplinary teams of MIT students, known as SERC Scholars, to tackle relevant research issues such as generative AI and democracy, combating misinformation, data ownership, and the implications of gamification.
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
