(Press-News.org) It can take years for humans to solve complex scientific problems. With AI, it can take a fraction of the time.
Dr. Shuiwang Ji, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University and a leading expert in the emerging field of AI for science and engineering — commonly referred to as AI4Science — is at the forefront of using AI to accelerate scientific problem solving.
Ji, along with other Texas A&M researchers, has recently published a paper in Foundations and Trends in Machine Learning outlining the uses and benefits of AI4Science. This collaborative paper features more than 60 authors from 15 universities, and contains over 500 pages of information on using AI for science.
The paper highlights the importance of using AI to solve complex equations, which can be applied to many different areas of science and engineering. For example, the famed Schrodinger’s equation can be solved with AI, improving efficiency and accuracy in many research areas, including drug discovery, material design, battery materials, and catalyst design.
“The goal of natural sciences is to understand the world on different temporal and physical scales, leading to three main systems: quantum, atomic, and continuum,” said Ji, who is also a Presidential Impact Fellow and Chancellor EDGES Fellow. “The fundamentals of these systems are ruled by differential equations, but the complexity of these equations significantly increases as the systems grow.”
These differential equations, such as Schrodinger’s, can be solved analytically on a small scale, testing the dynamics of two particles, like electrons. As the number of particles being tested increases, the complexity of equations grows exponentially, making them impossible to solve for any systems of practically useful sizes.
By implementing AI to solve these equations, large-scale systems can be analyzed effectively in a fraction of the time it would take with traditional methods.
“We are using AI to accelerate our understanding of science and design better engineering systems,” said Ji. Ji is also director of Texas A&M’s Research in Artificial Intelligence for Science and Engineering (RAISE) Initiative. With over 85 faculty members from Texas A&M, the RAISE Initiative is promoting collaborative research in AI.
“I have a curiosity for fundamental science, as it drives many areas of science and engineering research thanks to shared underlying principles and governing equations,” said Ji.
Funding for this research is administered by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), the official research agency for Texas A&M Engineering.
By Alyssa Schaechinger, Texas A&M University College of Engineering
###
END
Accelerating science with AI
2025-07-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New research uncovers gene impacts of PFAS exposure in firefighters
2025-07-24
TUCSON, Ariz. — Researchers at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health found that certain kinds of long-lasting chemicals firefighters are exposed to may affect the activity of genes linked to cancer and other diseases. The findings appear in the journal Environmental Research.
The study is among the first to connect common industrial chemicals called PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – to changes in microRNAs, or miRNAs, which are molecules that act as guardrails to help control gene expression.
PFAS are found in a wide range ...
Unlocking the brain’s filing cabinet
2025-07-24
Researchers at USC have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how the human brain forms, stores and recalls visual memories. A new study, published in Advanced Science, harnesses human patient brain recordings and a powerful machine learning model to shed new light on the brain’s internal code that sorts memories of objects into categories — think of it like the brain’s filing cabinet of imagery.
The results demonstrated that the research team could essentially read subjects’ minds, by pinpointing the category of visual image being recalled, purely from the precise timing of the subject’s neural activity.
The work solves ...
A brain-inspired approach for resilient AI processing
2025-07-24
Researchers in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University have received a two-year, $1.2 million grant from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to explore a new approach to cloud computing in battlefield environments.
Led by Drs. I-Hong Hou, Krishna Narayanan, P.R. Kumar and Dileep Kalathil, the project aims to revolutionize a growing challenge in modern computing: how to deliver the power of artificial intelligence (AI) not just from distant cloud servers, but directly to users and devices operating in constrained, dynamic, or infrastructure-poor environments.
Cloud-based AI tools like ChatGPT are common in civilian ...
‘Powerful new approach’: New drug combination strategy shows promise against hard-to-treat cancers
2025-07-24
A potential target for experimental drugs that block PRMT5 — a naturally occurring enzyme some tumors rely more on for survival — has been identified by researchers with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C.
In a study published this month in Cancer Research, Assistant Professor Kathleen Mulvaney of Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute shared research that could help guide development of new therapies for some treatment-resistant lung, brain, and pancreatic cancers.
“Using genetic screening, we found a ...
Understanding the epigenetic mechanisms behind premature aging of the brain
2025-07-24
Ikoma, Japan—Age often brings a gradual decline in the ability to learn new things and retain memories. This phenomenon, often associated with the elderly, is linked to the brain’s deteriorating capacity to generate new neurons—a process that primarily occurs in the hippocampus —as neural stem cells (NSCs) divide and mature. Recent research suggests this decline begins much earlier in life than previously thought, potentially starting in early adulthood.
While it is established that overall decline in brain function is associated with dwindling NSCs, the precise underlying molecular changes and their timelines remain unclear. ...
New study reveals critical link between neighborhood violence, youth fighting, and perceived firearm availability
2025-07-24
PHILADELPHIA (Juny 24, 2025) – A new Penn Nursing study led by Jungwon Min, PhD, MS, Research Professor and Director of the BECCA Lab, uncovers a significant association between neighborhood firearm violence exposure, involvement in fighting, and adolescents' perceived ability to obtain a firearm outside the home. The research is available in the latest issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The study, Neighborhood Firearm Violence, Psychosocial Risks, and Youth Firearm Perception, highlights that adolescents ...
AI platform designs molecular missiles to attack cancer cells
2025-07-24
Precision cancer treatment on a larger scale is moving closer after researchers have developed an AI platform that can tailor protein components and arm the patient's immune cells to fight cancer. The new method, published in the scientific journal Science, demonstrates for the first time, that it is possible to design proteins in the computer for redirecting immune cells to target cancer cells through pMHC molecules.
This dramatically shortens the process of finding effective molecules for cancer treatment from years to a few weeks.
"We are essentially creating a new set of eyes for the immune system. ...
Could metasurfaces be the next quantum information processors?
2025-07-24
Key takeaways
New research shows that metasurfaces could be used as strong linear quantum optical networks
This approach could eliminate the need for waveguides and other conventional optical components
Graph theory is helpful for designing the functionalities of quantum optical networks into a single metasurface
In the race toward practical quantum computers and networks, photons — fundamental particles of light — hold intriguing possibilities as fast carriers of information at room temperature. Photons are typically controlled and coaxed into quantum ...
Precision drug delivery with magnetic steering and light-triggered release
2025-07-24
Researchers have demonstrated that microscopic drug delivery containers can be magnetically steered to their targets, advancing the development of precision medicine for treating diseases such as cancer.
A multi-university team led by Jie Feng, a professor of mechanical science and engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, demonstrated that magnetic particles encapsulated in lipid vesicles can be used to steer the vesicles through fluids. This work, published in the Royal Society of ...
A century of data reveals declining forest diversity
2025-07-24
URBANA, Ill. — Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have analyzed 96 years of forest census data to better understand ecological changes and inform management practices. Their study, published in Forest Ecology and Management, reveals concerning homogenization trends. This means the forest has become less diverse over time, losing trees that played a critical role in its ecosystem.
The researchers analyzed census data from Trelease Woods, which the university acquired in 1917. Homogenization was linked to the spread of the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle, ...