Introducing the Rutgers Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (RAD) Collaboratory

October 16, 2024

Dear Rutgers–New Brunswick Community,

I am proud to share a pivotal advancement in our commitment to transformative, interdisciplinary research and innovation: The launch of an initiative by the Office of the Chancellor to elevate our scholarship in AI and data science.

The Rutgers Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (RAD) Collaboratory exemplifies the goals and objectives of our Academic Master Plan and its vision for Rutgers–New Brunswick as a global hub for research that confronts the pressing challenges of our time. The RAD Collaboratory will unite faculty and student researchers across STEM, the humanities, and the arts to propel discoveries and practical applications in these rapidly evolving domains.

The RAD Collaboratory will advance innovation through several channels, including:

• Pioneering Research: Hosting initiatives like Rutgers Cyberinfrastructure and AI for Science and Society (RU CASS) that harness the power of AI in collaboration with scholars from diverse disciplines.
• Expanding Our Community: Supporting the Data Science and AI Cluster Hire, which, by welcoming 11 new faculty, is creating an interdisciplinary community to explore societal impacts and benefits of the digital revolution.
• Empowering Students: Engaging new Platforms for Education and Research Cores (PERCs) that will connect students with opportunities for hands-on AI and data science research experience, allowing them to earn academic credits and certifications while utilizing our state-of-the-art facilities.
• Advancing Global Science: Backing projects at the Rutgers–New Brunswick-based RCSB Protein Data Bank, which serves the public and private sectors as a global archive for more than 150,000 three-dimensional protein, DNA, and RNA structures.

Moreover, the RAD Collaboratory will foster strategic partnerships across government, academia, and industry, unlocking new funding opportunities that fuel collaborative projects and inspire groundbreaking ideas, ultimately yielding innovative solutions to complex global issues.

Later this academic year, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research will invite faculty to propose ambitious research themes and interdisciplinary projects for RAD through an "AI Grand Challenge" call.

The Office of the Chancellor has allocated $10 million to this effort. The visionary initiative began taking shape in Fall 2022 when Senior Vice Provost for Research Denise Hien convened a strategic task force to reimagine how Rutgers–New Brunswick drives scholarship on cyberinfrastructure, AI, and data science.

Dr. Stephen K. Burley—who currently serves as University Professor, Henry Rutgers Chair, Founding Director of Rutgers’ Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, and Director of the RCSB Protein Data Bank—will lead the RAD Collaboratory as its Interim Director. An internal search for a permanent director will begin in Spring 2026.

Individuals who were instrumental in this endeavor include the task force co-chairs—Mark Aakhus, Associate Dean for Research at the School of Communication and Information, and James Barr von Oehsen, former Associate Vice President of the Office of Advanced Research Computing—as well as task force members from across Rutgers–New Brunswick and the deans and research deans of the School of Engineering, School of Arts and Sciences, School of Communication and Information, and School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.

The Office of the President is committing additional funding from the Roadmaps for Collective Academic Excellence program, a five-year initiative created by the Office of the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The RAD Collaboratory, like our Fall 2023 launch of the Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute, will ensure Rutgers–New Brunswick's place as a national and worldwide leader in scholarship that serves the greater good while addressing challenges of global consequence. Please join me in thanking the many leaders who have made this initiative possible.

With excitement for our collective future,

Francine Conway, Ph.D.
Chancellor and Distinguished Professor
Rutgers University–New Brunswick