August 2025

Welcome to the August edition of the Data Science and AI Hub newsletter!

Summer is quickly coming to an end. As the season heats up and the summer fun begins to wind down, the opportunities to connect, collaborate, and shape the future of data and AI continue to increase.

Looking ahead: We're thrilled to announce that WiADS 2025 is officially on the horizon! Join us on November 3rd for a day dedicated to amplifying the voices of women, non-binary, and gender-diverse individuals in AI and data science. We’re now accepting talk proposals from individuals at all experience levels — if you have a story, research, or insight to share, we’d love to hear from you.

Want to get involved or stay updated as WiADS approaches? Fill out our interest form to receive event updates, suggest speakers or topics, or join the planning committee.

We’re just getting started. The Data Science and AI Hub is continuing to grow, connect, and lead across campus and beyond. Follow us on LinkedIn for daily updates, stories, and opportunities to engage with our vibrant community.

Stay engaged and inspired! Explore the latest updates, events, and news below or visit our website for more information.

Notice: Gemini AI Now Available at the U of M
The University of Minnesota now offers Gemini, Google’s generative AI tool with enterprise-grade privacy. This is available to all faculty, staff, and students at no added cost. This secure, equitable alternative to tools like ChatGPT supports learning, research, and operations.

To use Gemini, review appropriate use guidelines, then log in at gemini.google.com with your UMN account. Learn more and find AI resources at ai.umn.edu.

Featured Article/Celebrating Success 
 

Save the Date for WiADS on November 3rd, 2025!

Join the Data Science and AI Hub for an empowering day dedicated to amplifying the voices of women, non-binary, and gender-diverse individuals in AI and data science. Engage in insightful talks, compelling storytelling, and meaningful connections with leaders in AI and data science. From the future of AI to pressing issues in data ethics, our speakers will offer perspectives that educate, challenge, and inspire. Join a supportive, community-focused event where connection, collaboration, and celebration take center stage, fostering inspiration and shared growth.  

Our 2025 Keynote: Alex Hanna 

Dr. Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR) and a sociologist focused on how data used in computational technologies reinforce racial, gender, and class inequalities. 

Talk Submissions: Interested in sharing your work, research, or story at WiADS 2025? We welcome talk proposals from individuals of all backgrounds and experience levels working in AI and data science. Submit a proposal today.

Stay Connected & Get Involved: Want to stay in the loop on WiADS 2025 updates, including registration announcements and speaker news? Complete our interest form to receive updates. You can also use the form to express interest in joining the planning committee or to suggest speakers and topics you’d like to see at this year’s event.

RAISE Program Deadline Extended, Scope Expanded

The Researcher Assistance Initiative for Supporting Emergencies (RAISE) program has been extended and will now remain active until August 30, 2025.

Based on feedback we received from affected PIs, two new NIH-specific eligibility exceptions for the RAISE program have been added:

• PIs who had submitted a no-cost extension (NCE) to NIH before the end of their program and did not receive approval but the program end date has passed.
• PIs who have received NIH fundable scores (impact/priority scores of 10 to 30) in April or earlier and have not yet received award letters.

See the RAISE program webpage for more details on eligibility and requirements regarding exceptions.

New ACM Journal ‘ACM AI Letters’ designed to keep pace with AI Innovations.

Bridging a crucial gap between traditional conferences and journals, AILET will feature short peer-reviewed contributions that accelerate knowledge dissemination across academia and industry. This unique publication prioritizes theoretical breakthroughs, algorithmic innovation, practical real-world applications, and critical societal implications including ethics, policy, and responsible AI. See the full announcement

ACM AI Letters welcomes concise summaries of work in the following areas:

• Theoretical AI: Reports on theoretical breakthroughs in AI
• Algorithmic Advances: Descriptions of significant algorithmic and scientific advances in AI
• Practical Applications: Accounts of novel or deployed applications of AI in real-world settings such as healthcare, finance, robotics, and autonomous systems
• AI & Society: Reports on AI applications addressing key societal challenges, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Emerging Topics: Areas like AI ethics, explainable AI, policy, governance, and responsible AI will be covered, focusing on their implications in practical implementations
• Opinions and briefs: Policy, latest advances, comparative assessments

ISC Student Cluster Competition

University students from around the world are invited to compete in the ISC Student Cluster Competition, showcasing their HPC and AI skills in a spirited environment. Co-organized by ISC and the HPC-AI Advisory Council, the event offers both virtual and in-person formats. August 1, 2025 - Team Submission is Open and November 14, 2025 - Submissions Ends.

The virtual segment allows teams to run benchmarks and HPC applications on world-class systems like ROMEO (URCA) and Bridges-2 (PSC). The in-person competition, held during the ISC High Performance Conference, challenges ten selected teams to build and run their own clusters on-site.

This year’s applications will focus on bioscience research, giving students hands-on experience with real-world scientific challenges.

Learn more about ISC25 Student Cluster Competition
For questions, please contact [email protected]

Call for contributions for the 2025 Summit on Responsible Computing, AI, and Society

Deadline: August 15th, 2025

When: October 27-29, 2025

Where: Atlanta, Georgia

We seek contributors to the Summit who have unique perspectives on responsibility, as well as visions for the future of responsible, ethical, moral, and/or value-aligned computing and artificial intelligence. See more information on the summit and call.

The DSAI Hub regularly features interviews with members of our vibrant data science community, delving into their perspectives on the field and its implications for their careers. 

This month, we’re excited to introduce Tia Clasen, the new Education and Outreach Coordinator for the DSAI Hub and Research Computing. Tia brings a passion for advancing AI and data science literacy, emphasizing the importance of using both effectively to improve student and societal outcomes.

She defines data science as the process of discovering meaning in data. It is identifying patterns, extracting insights, and using them to inform smart decision-making. For Tia, data science provides the structure needed to support AI, while AI, in turn, helps deepen our understanding of what the data reveals.

With a rich background in K–12 education, Tia has repeatedly seen that while many school districts are data-rich, they don’t always use that data to its full potential. She’s working to change that, from the classroom to the state level—leveraging data to create more responsive and equitable systems.

Tia has recently found herself using AI more than ever and is diving into research on both enthusiastic adoption and cautious critique of these tools to inform her work. Looking ahead, her hope is that in the next five years, the E–16 education system, and especially special education. She will fully embrace data science and AI to create individualized support systems that unlock opportunities for every learner. “I’m a teacher at heart,” she says. “That’s what I signed on to do, and that is still my mission.”

Please join us in welcoming Tia to the DSAI and Research Computing community!

Read Tia’s full Community Corner spotlight on the DSAI website.

📢 How to Get Involved:

Let us know if you’d like to be featured or nominate someone who’s making an impact. This is your chance to shine and help us showcase the amazing talent and innovation that defines the DSAI Hub community.

Submit your interest to Leah Saaristo at [email protected]. Let’s celebrate the diverse voices that make the Data Science Initiative extraordinary!

View Previous Spotlights

Initiative Updates

AI Explorers Summer Camp Wraps Up Two Weeks of Innovation and Fun

The Run the World: AI Explorers Summer Camp brought high school students to the University of Minnesota campus for two immersive weeks of coding, creativity, and curiosity.

Campers learned Python, explored real-world data, and built their own AI projects—ranging from mushroom classification to predicting Titanic survival. Along the way, they heard from researchers, presented their work, and even got a surprise visit from Goldy Gopher and a robotic dog demonstration.

The camp continues a proud tradition of project-based, hands-on learning for students of all experience levels.

Read the full recap and view photos

Research Spotlight - Seed Grant Awardee

Title: Epigenetic variation in Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction: a novel animal model for Parkinson's disease

PI(s): Molly McCue 
Co-Investigator: Lauren Hughes 
DSI Track: Foundational 
MnDRIVE Area(s): Brain Conditions

Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID, previously known as equine Cushing’s syndrome) is a neurodegenerative condition affecting up to one in four aged horses that causes significant disease and even euthanasia. This disease occurs when neurons in the brain (hypothalamus) degenerate, which causes unregulated growth of cells in the pituitary gland. Interestingly, the changes happening in a PPID-affected horse’s brain look very similar to the changes seen in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease and related Lewy body dementia. The similarity between PPID and Parkinson’s/Lewey body

patients creates an opportunity to capitalize on what is known in Parkinson’s disease and related brain conditions as we investigate PPID. Additionally, if we find genetic and epigenetic changes in horses PPID that are similar the changes in Parkinson’s patients brains, this will further show the horse’s potential to serve as a model for brain and synucleinopathy research. PPID spontaneously occurs much more frequently than Parkinson’s disease (~20% in horses with

PPID vs. 1% in human Parkinson’s) making PPID easier to study. In this project, we explore changes in methylation patterns in horses with PPID which can lead to particular genes being turned on and off in affected horses’ brains by sequencing their genomes with Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing. This work will allow us to explore the contribution of genetic alterations and gene expression to disease risk and curate a catalog of epigenetic variation in the aged horse that can serve as a resource for both horse and human researchers. Data accessibility and usage will be assured using multifaceted approach, including: 1) disseminating a genomic and epigenomic data processing computing pipeline; 2) hosting data on the University of Minnesota Gems Information Platform; and 3) incorporating the catalog of epigenetic variation into a Shiny App to allow data exploration.

View Seed Grant Awardees

Events

Data Science and AI Expo for New Faculty and Researchers

When: August 27th, 2025 at 03:30 PM 
Where: Walter Library, Floor 4  

If you’ve joined the University within the last five years, you’re invited to the Data Science and AI Expo for New Faculty and Researchers—your one-stop opportunity to discover the many organizations, centers, and initiatives driving innovation across campus.

What to expect:

• Chat with representatives from key data science and AI units
• Learn about interdisciplinary research, funding opportunities, and upcoming events
• Connect with fellow faculty and researchers—both new and seasoned

Whether you’re looking for collaborators, curious about resources, or just want to plug into the wider data and AI community, this fair-style expo is designed to orient and inspire. Light refreshments will be served, and each booth offers a direct pathway to opportunities that can elevate your work.

Register for the DSAI Expo

Data Discovery Across Departments 

Events in other departments/initiatives/institutions - (External (Non-DSAI Hub Events)

International Institute for Biosensing Lecture Series: Biosensors for point of care applications

When: August 5th, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM 
Where: Online  

In its Precision Sensing Lecture Series, International Institute for Biosensing (IIB) is proud to host Prof. T. G. Satheesh Babu. He currently serves as Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore Campus. Prof. Babu leads the Biosensor Research group and Amrita Biomedical Engineering centre at the Coimbatore Campus and Heads the Amrita Biomedical Engineering (AMBE) centre. He also serves as the Research Head for the School of Physical Sciences at the Coimbatore campus.

Learn more and Register

GenAI4Science: Integrating Scientific Knowledge into Generative AI 

When: August 13 and 14. 
Where: Virtual

GenAI is evolving at an exceptional pace and offers significant potential to accelerate scientific discovery. At the same time, scientific applications pose unique and often unmet challenges for current models. Addressing these challenges will not only expand the role of GenAI in science but also help drive its future development in response to the needs of scientific inquiry—particularly through the integration of scientific knowledge into GenAI frameworks.

This workshop will focus on advancing the methodological foundations of GenAI for scientific discovery, with a particular emphasis on approaches that incorporate domain knowledge, physical laws, and theoretical constraints.

If you’d like to receive details on how to access the livestream, please don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected] — we’d be delighted to have you participate online.

Head to the website for more information

International Institute for Biosensing Lecture Series: Using Neural Signals to Optimize Neuromodulation Therapies to Treat Neurological Disease

When: September 8th, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM 
Where: Walter Library

Professor Tay Netoff, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering. The Netoff lab is developing novel approaches for optimizing electrical stimulation to maximize outcomes for each patient.

Learn more and Register

Vision-based Industrial Inspection (VISION'25)

When: October 19th, 2025 at 9:00 - 17:00 HAST (UTC−10:00) 
Where: TBD @ ICCV 2025, Honolulu, Hawaii

The 3rd Workshop on Vision-based Industrial Inspection (VISION'25) will be held at ICCV 2025 on October 19th in Hawaii. Following the success of VISION'23 @ CVPR and VISION'24 @ ECCV, this workshop brings together researchers, industry leaders, and practitioners to explore the latest innovations in vision-based industrial inspection. Attendees can look forward to keynote talks, technical sessions, and excellent networking opportunities with experts in the field.

Aims and Scope:

The VISION workshop provides a platform for exchanging cutting-edge research and addressing emerging practical challenges in vision-based industrial inspection. Through keynote talks, technical presentations, and challenge competitions, the workshop aims to:

• Bring together researchers from interdisciplinary communities related to computer vision-based inspection.
• Connect academic researchers with industry practitioners to align recent research advances with current industrial needs.

Current Organizing Committee:

• Shancong Mou, Zirui Liu and Wan Wang (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
• Juan Du (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
• Hao Yan (Arizona State University)
• Gokberk Cinbis (Middle East Technical University)

International Institute for Biosensing Lecture Series: Ethics of Robotics in Healthcare with Special Consideration for Women

When: November 10th, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM 
Where: Walter Library  

Professor Catherine McCarty, Associate Dean for Research at the Medical School, Duluth campus, University of Minnesota. Professor McCarty started her research career as the Head of the Epidemiology Research Unit at the University of Melbourne. During her eight years in this position, she led population-based studies of vision impairment in Australia, India, and Hong Kong. Upon returning to the US, Professor McCarty was the Principal Investigator for the Marshfield Clinic Personalized Medicine Research Project and conducted research in the areas of genetic epidemiology, pharmacogenetics, and community engagement related to biobanking. Professor McCarty currently conducts mixed-methods research in bioethics and rural health.

Learn more and Register

2025 Data-Intensive Research Conference

When: August 6-7, 2025 
Where: Minneapolis, MN & Virtual  

The IPUMS Big Microdata Network and NDIRA, a collaboration between IPUMS and the University of Minnesota Life Course Center, are currently accepting submissions for the 2025 Data-Intensive Research Conference, to be held in person in Minneapolis, Minnesota; key components of the program will also be available to virtual participants. The conference theme is Understanding Health and Population Dynamics through Big Microdata. 

Funding Opportunities and Deadline

If you're interested in exploring these or other data science opportunities, whether it's finding the right team, preparing your submission, or partnering with industry on federal and state funding initiatives, please reach out—we’re here to help!

• NVIDIA Academic Research Grant Opportunity - NVIDIA is requesting proposals from academic researchers in the areas of Generative AI: Training and Model Development, Generative AI: Alignment and Inference, or Robotics and Edge AI. Cloud computing or hardware resources are available to awarded projects. Rolling deadline
• Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI):The MURI program supports basic research in science and engineering at U.S. institutions of higher education that is of potential interest to DoD. The program is focused on multidisciplinary research efforts where more than one traditional discipline interacts to provide rapid advances in scientific areas of interest to the DoD. Fourteen topic areas are listed in the solicitation. Two of them are Ontology Engineering for Machine Learning in Open-ended Sensor, Model, User Systems (Topic 10) and Evaluation and Monitoring of Large-Scale Generative AI (Topic 14). Deadlines: Application Inquiries and Questions, 22 August 2025. Applications must be received no later than 05 September 2025 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
• Verticals-enabling Intelligent Network Systems (VINES) - NSF: The VINES program seeks to support both fundamental research and verticals-driven technology development, demonstration, and translation activities that will lead to leaps in performance and capabilities of next generation (NextG) advanced intelligent network systems that span the user-edge-core-cloud continuum. Track 1 proposals due August 25, 2025. Track 2 proposals due September 25, 2025.
• New Generation of Glucose Control Technologies Incorporating AI/ML Tools/Strategies - NIH, NIDDK. Research for more effective open- and closed-loop diabetes control systems. This may include research that addresses: 1) innovation of sensing relevant analytes/physiologic signals; 2) novel formulation and delivery of hormones; 3) artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)-driven tools/algorithms; and 4) digital twin modeling to augment decision support and automated control systems with the goal of improving glycemic control, reducing burden of care, and enhancing quality of life of people with T1D. Due Oct. 1, 2025 (Note BAA not out yet, look for it to drop on Sept. 1)
• Collaborations in Artificial Intelligence and Geosciences (CAIG)  - NSF: The NSF Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), in partnership with the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), seeks to address grand challenge problems in the geosciences through innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) methods. AI is defined here as any computer analysis where the results are algorithmically refined without human intervention. See the solicitation for three priority goals. Full proposal deadline is February 4, 2026.
• Measurement Science and Engineering (MSE) Research Grant Programs - NIST: To support activities that develop, expand, strengthen, or sustain NIST partnership programs and/or support the conduct of research or a recipient's portion of collaborative research in a variety of areas including, but not limited to: Metrology; Standards; Nanotechnology; Artificial Intelligence; Advanced Communications; Advanced Manufacturing; Deadline: Rolling
• Fundamental AI Research - Army Contracting Command Rock Island: The Army Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C) is seeking artificial intelligence research and development whitepapers and proposals in support of new technologies and translational research-based approaches that support the identification, alignment, and exploitation of basic, applied, and advanced research. The army is interested in Autonomous platforms, AI/ML decision support fundamental research, Human-AI integration, novel visualization and synthetic environment approaches to enable improved training, distributed AI, and foundational AI and data algorithms. Deadline: Rolling

Opportunity for Postdocs transitioning to faculty positions:

• BWF Career Awards at the Scientific Interface (CASI): provides $560,000 over five years to bridge advanced postdoctoral training and the first three years of faculty service. These awards are to foster the early career development of researchers who are transitioning from training environments in the physical, mathematical, computational sciences and/or engineering into postdoctoral work in the biological sciences, and who are dedicated to pursuing a career in academic research. Letter of intent due Sept. 2, 2025, Jan. 12, 2026 application deadline.

Open Positions, Assistantships, and Internships

New Openings

• Research Associate - SoarTech (An Accelint Company) - We are looking for skilled and motivated individuals for internships and residency positions  to help us tackle the tough problems within the Artificial Intelligence (AI) research space. At SoarTech, you will assist the Scientific team with both the technical and non-technical responsibilities required throughout project proposal efforts.
• Research Scientist - Meedan - Seeking a full or part time role in the research and engineering team for a new AI/ML software system with local newsrooms that integrates knowledge graphs and LLMs through a community GraphRAG approach
• Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor, AI & Society - The new AIS department was created with the goal of creating AI systems that are designed to be built by society, for society. We seek to upend the dominant approach where AI systems are built with accuracy as the primary metric and then “fine tuned” for societal considerations. A successful candidate is expected to contribute to our initial attempts to make this vision a reality. To that end, we are looking for candidates who can operate effectively in a team environment with a diverse community of students and faculty, and who share and want to help shape our vision for a new department in the field of AI and Society.
• Postdoctoral Research Associate - University of Cambridge - The Digital Mental Health Group is an innovative and collaborative research group studying the intersection between digital technologies, adolescent mental health and developmental cognitive neuroscience, with the aim of improving mental health outcomes in both non-clinical and clinical populations. Note: They will interview for the role on the 27th of August 2025. We are able to sponsor visas.
• Data Analytics Program Lead - UMN CCAPS - The Data Analytics Program Lead is a temporary, part-time, non-tenured position for our Professional Development and Lifelong Learning Programs. The Program Lead is responsible for aligning the program with the skill needs in the program’s industry or occupation. This will include participating in interviews with other industry experts, recommending program-level curriculum (i.e. program name, program description, program outcomes, outcomes for the courses that comprise the program), participating in course development and instructor search committees, advising course developers and instructors, assessing the viability of potential industry collaborators, assisting in third party vendor vetting, and recommending program and course revisions.
  • External applicants: https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/369103
  • Internal applicants: https://hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/int/369103

Still Open 

• Future Product Innovation Research Intern, HCI Creativity: Toyota Research Institute - This internship opportunity falls within the Human-Centered AI Division (HCAI). We are seeking a highly motivated and versatile PhD research intern to join our Future Product Innovation team and open up the boundaries on what is possible with Generative AI technologies in the domain of narrative-driven design and future scenario generation. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in multi-media and immersive technologies, with demonstrated interest in design and generative AI.
• Future Product Innovation Research Intern, CAD Generation ML: Toyota Research Institute - This internship opportunity falls within the Human-Centered AI Division (HCAI). We are seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD research intern to join our Future Product Innovation team and push the envelope on what is possible with Generative AI technologies in the domain of automotive product design. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in CAD Generation and Machine Learning or related fields, with demonstrated interest in design and generative AI.
• Postdoctoral Researcher in AI, Privacy, and Policy: University of Oxford (Opens PDF) - The Synthetic Society Lab at the Oxford Internet Institute invites applications from enthusiastic and motivated candidates for a postdoctoral position working on cutting-edge research at the intersection of Machine Learning and Privacy-Enhancing Technologies, with a focus on public interest technology research.
• AI Governance Fellow: Center for Democracy & Technology - The Fellow will contribute to the work of CDT’s AI Governance Lab, focused on the responsible design, testing, monitoring and regulation of AI systems.
• Machine Learning Engineer  AI Agent: Zoom - We're seeking an experienced Machine Learning Engineer specializing in LLMs and autonomous agents and agentic AI to join our AI team. You'll be instrumental in developing and deploying intelligent agent systems that can understand context, make decisions, and execute complex tasks across our platform.

Social Media/Website Links

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