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The Convergence Research (CORE) Institute, funded by the NSF Convergence Accelerator, is designed to catalyze an impact network of researchers, practitioners, and industry and public policy professionals committed to collaboratively engaging in convergence research that is driven by a specific and compelling societal problem and requires deep integration across disciplines and sectors. This training program provides researchers and practitioners with a foundational experience to position them for impact throughout their careers on the most challenging societal issues of our time. The curriculum gives participants the skillsets and networks to identify use-inspired problems and build convergence research solutions designed with intentional pathways to sustainable integration into existing societal systems. Each year the CORE Institute selects a thematic focus related to a societal grand challenge. The theme for the 2023 Institute is “Tackling Climate-Induced Challenges with AI”.
CORE Institute 2023 Fellows Information Webinar
AI plays an increasingly important role in defining strategies for climate change adaptation, resilience, and mitigation. However, AI strategies alone cannot comprehensively address the complexity of climate-induced challenges. It is necessary to take a convergence research approach to design AI solutions that are actionable, equitable, and scalable.
The CORE Institute is announcing its first call for applicants to join the 2023 CORE Fellows. Supported by a network of experts in convergence research principles and methods, the Fellows will transfer ideas and technologies to practice, and design AI solutions for climate change adaptation, resilience, and/or mitigation.
We welcome applicants from the public and private sectors as well as from academia and from nonprofit and non-governmental organizations, including AI experts, climate scientists, legislators and staffers, public policy professionals, climate activists, and researchers. Applicants can be in career phases ranging from graduate students to early and mid-career professionals.
The Institute’s training program is divided into two phases. Phase I consists of a virtual six-week boot camp conducted in the spring of 2023, where fellows will engage in a guided process of problem definition and solution ideation in cross-sector, cross-discipline teams. The curriculum will comprise distinct segments for: (i) foundations of convergence research taught by selected instructors working on this area; (ii) case studies on AI strategies for climate-induced challenges; and (iii) hands-on breakout garage sessions for teams to engage in problem definition and new solution ideation.
In Phase II, supported by Institute mentors, a select group of participants will attend a week-long, in-person incubator in the summer at UC San Diego (the CORE Institute will cover travel expenses including lodging and domestic travel). During this phase, fellows will continue working together to draft proposals for funding and/or plans to prototype their AI solutions.
Fellows will have the opportunity to learn from and engage with a broad range of CORE Institute experts working on AI strategies to tackle climate change challenges. The CORE Institute is designed to create long-term engagement with participants: all selected teams will continue to receive support from Institute mentors after the summer session. The network of experts includes top researchers from UCSD, UC-Davis, MIT, Princeton University, the University of Arizona, Stony Brook University, and Vanderbilt University. These researchers have ample experience working on CORE projects funded by the NSF, from an AI framework to reduce the risk of megafires to AI monitoring and prediction of biothreats in U.S. cities. Projects led by the CORE network include: BurnPro3D, Computing the Biome, CRIPT, HydroGEN, Precision Epidemiology, and AI-Grid.
Interested applicants will be asked to write short statements outlining their research interests and/or areas of expertise. While there are no predefined project topics, the selection committee will prioritize applicants focused on use-inspired problems with the AI solutions most likely to be implemented and scaled. As such, we seek proposals aligned with state and federal efforts for climate change adaptation, resilience, and mitigation, including, but not limited to: strengthening protections for climate vulnerable communities, mitigating public health and safety risks posed by climate change, building a climate resilient economy, increasing the pace and scale of nature-based solutions, operationalizing climate science into decision making, and enhancing collaborations to build climate resilience across sectors and regions.
The CORE Institute team will conduct informational webinars during the fall of 2022. Please subscribe for updates. To apply please click here.
For questions, please contact Zaira Razu Aznar.