Ohio State teams join DOE’s $293 million AI research initiative

Two faculty-led projects will test AI approaches to electronics manufacturing and complex flow modeling during the nine-month first phase. Two Ohio State-led teams will test AI approaches to advanced manufacturing and complex flow modeling through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission Two research teams led by The Ohio State University have secured places in the U.S. Department of Energy’s $293 million Genesis Mission , bringing together universities, national laboratories and technology companies to test AI tools for scientific discovery. The projects are among those selected to address more than 26 science and technology challenges spanning advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, critical materials, nuclear energy and quantum information science. DOE officials say participating teams were chosen through a merit review process. For Ohio State, the selection means two nine-month research programs, each operating with phase-one funding of between $500,000 and $750,000. The wider mission aims to combine AI, high-performance computing and the department’s scientific capabilities to increase U.S. research productivity. “We are pleased that researchers from two Ohio State-led teams have been selected through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, a groundbreaking initiative that seeks to accelerate scientific discovery through the use of artificial intelligence,” says John M. Horack, Ohio State’s Vice President for Research. From orbital electronics to complex flow modeling Roland Kawakami, Professor of Physics in Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences, is Lead Principal Investigator for AI for Orbital Electronics Materials and Manufacturing. His team includes researchers from the University of Southern California, Yale University and Argonne National Laboratory, with Intel serving as the industry partner. The second project, ROBIN-NET: RObust BIdirectional PINNs for Accelerated Complex Flow Modeling and Discovery, is led by Han-Wei Shen, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering in Ohio State’s College of Engineering. Shen is working with research teams from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. NVIDIA is the project’s industry partner. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the department received a “remarkable number of high-quality proposals,” which he positions as evidence of demand for further investment in the Genesis Mission. Phase two offers up to $15 million The first phase is intended to test initial AI concepts, models and workflows. Selection does not guarantee longer-term funding. Teams that complete phase one will be eligible for phase two, which offers the opportunity to apply for between $6 million and $15 million in grant funding over three years. Ohio State’s Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge is supporting its teams through the application process. The projects sit alongside Ohio State’s broader investment in AI research and education. Its AI Fluency initiative is intended to integrate AI throughout the student experience, with all students expected to become fluent in applying the technology within their main field of study. The university also operates the interdisciplinary AI(X) Hub and Buckeye BioLaunch, which aims to support between 10 and 20 AI-driven therapeutic screening projects each year.