Assistant Professor Song Mei has won the CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The $450,000 grant is for his work around theoretical foundations for deep learning and large-scale AI models.

Mei's research is motivated by data science, and lies at the intersection of statistics, machine learning, information theory, and computer science. He often builds on insights that originated within the statistical physics literature. His current research interests include high dimensional probability, theory of deep learning, and theory of reinforcement learning.

"I am honored to have received the prestigious NSF Career Award. I am thankful for the support and encouragement of my colleagues, students, friends, and parents along the journey," said Mei. "My research aims to deepen our theoretical understanding of deep learning and generative AI models, including language models and diffusion models. This grant both recognizes my contributions so far and enables impactful new directions by funding the next stages of this important work. I look forward to continuing to push the boundaries of our knowledge and pursue broader social benefits." 

The grant was awarded for Mei's research around generative AI models. Specifically, this project will establish a theoretical foundation to elucidate the capabilities and limitations of language models and diffusion models. 

"Big congratulations to Song for this outstanding achievement," said Chair Haiyan Huang. 

The CAREER award is the most prestigious award presented by the NSF to support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through research and education and the integration of these endeavors in the context of their organizations' missions. The awards, presented once each year, include a federal grant for research and education activities for five consecutive years.

-Alex Coughlin