Category: Research & Innovation

The University of Florida and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency have entered an agreement to study how artificial intelligence and machine learning applications (AIML) can be used to detect and deter malicious agents that infiltrate computer networks. The work will be carried out by researchers associated with UF’s Florida Institute for National Security.

The National Science Foundation has recognized a record nine University of Florida faculty members, including five Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering faculty members, with 2022 Early Career Development Awards, one of its most prestigious honors.

Damon Woodard, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has agreed to serve as director of the Florida Institute for National Security (FINS). As part of a new vision, FINS will particularly focus on leveraging the UF AI Initiative to position the state’s flagship university as the nationally recognized premier provider of AI talent for the national security and defense industry, and as an innovation leader in AI-enabled national security.

The University of Florida ranks first among public universities and second nationwide in a new report that evaluates which U.S. universities are best at moving new discoveries from the lab and into the real world through research commercialization and STEM graduates.

Nancy Ruzycki, Ph.D., instructional associate professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, is leading multiple K-12 engineering education initiatives to develop the teachers and the students to help fill prospective job openings in AI related fields.

University of Florida researchers have confirmed their artificial intelligence system, known as MySurgeryRisk, is at least as accurate as physicians in predicting surgical complications and sometimes more so. Developing and testing MySurgeryRisk has been a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort involving experts across the UF campus. A group of 22 engineering and medical researchers initially helped to develop and test the algorithm, and researchers from the UF departments of anesthesiology, medicine and electrical and computer engineering contributed to the latest findings.

Jennifer Nichols, Ph.D., assistant professor in the J. Crayton Pruitt Department of Biomedical Engineering, and collaborators have been awarded a $2.2 million R01 grant from the NIH National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) for her project titled “Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis: Understanding the Intersection of Muscle Mechanics, Joint Instability, and Pain.”

Damon Woodard, Ph.D., director of the Florida Institute for National Security and associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is leading a $1.2M research effort to use artificial intelligence for the purpose of hardware security.

A recent grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will allow Benjamin Lok, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, to train healthcare students and practitioners on how to express empathy when interacting with patients who have suicidal ideation. The project is titled “Virtual Interaction Training in Emotional Self-Awareness for Working with Suicidal Patients.”

Vobile, the worldwide leading Software-as-a-Service provider in digital content protection and monetization, announced on April 21 the opening of a new R&D and Operations Center in Gainesville, FL, home to more than 75,000 college students between the University of Florida and Santa Fe College. This strategic move is part of the company’s rapid growth initiatives. This is the first step in Vobile’s plan to create hundreds of jobs in Gainesville.