Computational Science Seminar Series: AI for Science at Argonne

Ian Foster, Argonne National Laboratory

Abstract: I will describe an emerging “AI for Science” initiative at Argonne National Laboratory to advance the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) aimed at addressing challenge problems in science. We aim in this initiative to: (1) identify those scientific problems where existing AI and machine learning methods can have an immediate impact (and organize teams and efforts to realize that impact); (2) identify areas of where new AI methods are needed to meet the unique needs of science research (frame problems, develop test cases, outline work needed to make progress); and (3) develop the means to automate scientific experiments, observations, and data generation to accelerate the overall scientific enterprise. Science offers plenty of hard problems to motivate and drive AI research, from complex multimodal data analysis to integration of symbolic and data intensive methods, to coupling large-scale simulation and machine learning to drive improved training to control and accelerate simulations. A major sub-theme is that of working toward the automation of scientific discovery through integration of machine learning (active learning and reinforcement learning) with simulation and automated high-throughput experimental laboratories. I will provide some examples of projects underway and lay out a set of long-term driver problems.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Ian Foster is Senior Scientist and Distinguished Fellow, and also director of the Data Science and Learning Division, at Argonne National Laboratory, and the Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago. Ian received a BSc degree from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and a PhD from Imperial College, United Kingdom, both in computer science. His research deals with distributed, parallel, and data-intensive computing technologies, and innovative applications of those technologies to scientific problems in such domains as materials science, climate change, and biomedicine. Foster is a fellow of the AAAS, ACM, BCS, and IEEE, and an Office of Science Distinguished Scientists Fellow.

Watch remotely via Zoom:
https://fnal.zoom.us/j/714960470
Meeting ID: 714 960 470

Phone:
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)