Building Research Communities in AI - Campuswide Event on March 3
Published: Feb 25, 2026, 12:55 PM
Who is using AI for research at Auburn? Where are the collaboration seams? What resources can move projects from idea to execution? Those are the focus of the AI@AU Initiative/Team Science Series event, "Building Research Communities in AI," on Tuesday, March 3, from 1-5 p.m. in the Melton Student Center ballroom. Registration is now open.
"AI has become an integral part of our research," said Gerry Dozier, technical lead of the AI@AU Initiative and director of the Auburn University Center for Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Engineering. "Faculty need to be made aware of opportunities how they can take the next step with this tool to enhance production or build ideas with interdisciplinary teams around emerging ideas. Strong research communities don't happen by accident. They form when people with complementary expertise find each other, align with meaningful problems and build momentum together. This series is about accelerating that process at Auburn."
What to expect
- Poster sessions and digital slide presentations showcasing AI-enabled studies, tooling and datasets
- Lightning talks for fast knowledge transfer and quick discovery of collaboration fits
- Round-table discussions to scope shared problems and next-step experiments
- A keynote delivered by "Aubria," an AI-generated, human-like presenter
Aubria was developed by three students from the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering:
- Jahidul Arafat, doctoral student
- Bhuvaneshwari Bodakuntla, master's student in data engineering
- Sawyer Womack, sophomore pursuing a bachelor's degree
"The fact that our students built the keynote speaker says a great deal about where we are," Dozier said. "They're not just studying AI, they're creating it, deploying it and demonstrating its capabilities in a public forum. That's exactly the kind of hands-on innovation we want to cultivate."
Who should attend
- Faculty, postdocs and graduate students applying AI to experimental, computational or field research
- Investigators seeking cross-disciplinary partners for proposals and shared instrumentation
- Research computing, data engineering and cyberinfrastructure staff supporting labs and centers
How to get value from the afternoon
- Arrive with a concise 60-second intro: your problem space, methods and what collaboration you're seeking
- Bring a short list of datasets, tools or models you can share - and the gaps you need to fill
- Use lightning talks and round-tables to identify two concrete next steps with potential partners
About the hosts
Team Science, launched in 2024 by Associate Vice President for Research Jennifer Kerpelman, connects experts across disciplines to address complex problems. AI@AU, launched in 2022, supports university-wide AI research infrastructure, faculty development and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Additional resources
- AI Learning Path for Research Scientists - practical upskilling for modeling, data workflows and experimental design
- National Academies report on team science - evidence-based practices for effective collaboration
Media contact
Joe McAdory - jem0040@auburn.edu, 334.844.3447
Note: Aubria, an AI-generated presenter created by three computer science and software engineering students, will serve as the event's keynote speaker.
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