Signal DOE Genesis Mission funds AI foundation models for particle physics

Summary

William & Mary's School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics has been selected for a Phase I award under the US Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, a national initiative designed to accelerate scientific discovery through artificial intelligence. Cristiano Fanelli, associate professor of data science, will serve as principal investigator, leading a team from William & Mary, Jefferson Lab, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to build a new generation of AI foundation models that could transform how scientists study the fundamental building blocks of matter. Fanelli, an expert in AI for nuclear and particle physics, specializes in deep-learning and uncertainty-aware methods for detector modeling and reconstruction, as well as for extracting fundamental physics from experimental data. He received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award last year recognizing his innovative research and leadership in the field. The project brings together multiple national laboratories to pursue foundation models tailored to particle and nuclear physics research.