AI x Science Postdoctoral Fellows collaborate across disciplines
As members of the inaugural AI x Science Postdoctoral Fellowship, Brynn Sherman and Kieran Murphy are already reaping the rewards of cross-discipline collaboration—testing new ideas quickly and learning new research languages. The fellowship program, offered through the School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) and the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), provides mentorship and peer engagement opportunities.
Cross Discipline Collaboration
"AI is a part of doing research in the sciences now,” says Colin Twomey, the executive director of the School of Arts & Sciences’ Data Driven Discovery Initiative (DDDI) who oversees the new program. The program aims to bring together experts with scientific research goals at Penn who want to use AI tools and those with expertise in building them.
Research in Cognitive Neuroscience and Linguistics
Cognitive neuroscientist Brynn Sherman collaborated with linguist Sarah Lee to study how the narrative structure of events influences memory. Their study analyzed viewers' memory of popular series like “Game of Thrones” and “Stranger Things” to understand how people recall the ordering of events based on the narrative structure.
Demystifying AI through Information Theory
Kieran Murphy's research focuses on demystifying AI’s “black box” problem by making deep learning systems more interpretable and reliable. By tracing the flow of information through neural networks, Murphy identifies which parts of input data influence the system’s conclusions, ultimately making AI more transparent.
Expanding Horizons
The AI x Science program at Penn is looking to expand by recruiting researchers from a wider range of disciplines. This year's cohort includes postdoctoral researchers from Penn Medicine and Wharton AI fellows are expected to join in the future. The program aims to continue integrating AI into various scientific fields, fostering collaborative research projects.
