Abu Dhabi-UAE: Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a global research center and the applied research pillar of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), today announced the appointment of two highly decorated mathematicians to the Board of Advisors of its Artificial Intelligence Cross-Center Unit (AICCU).
Alessio Figali is an Italian mathematician and Professor at ETH Zurich, working primarily on Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations. He was awarded the prestigious Fields Medal in 2018 – conferred on a limited number of mathematicians under 40 at the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a congress that takes place once every four years – for his contributions to the Theory of Optimal Transport and its applications in Partial Differential Equations, Metric Geometry, and Probability. Optimal transport now has applications across a variety of fields such as Image Processing, Engineering Design, Machine Learning, Statistics, Urban Planning, to name a few.
Prof. Figali received the Stampacchia Medal, an international prize awarded every three years by the Italian Mathematics Union together with the Ettore Majorana Foundation (Erice), for outstanding contributions in the field of Calculus of Variations and related applications. In addition, he is a recipient of the European Mathematical Society (EMS) Prize for the development of Mathematics in Europe, and the Feltrinelli Prize. As a board member, he will advise the AI Cross-Center Unit in areas related to Machine Learning.
Meanwhile, the second celebrated board of advisors’ member to join the AI Cross-Center Unit is Pierre-Louis Lions, a French mathematician affiliated with the Collège de France, known for multiple contributions to the fields of Partial Differential Equations, and the Calculus of Variations. He is renowned for his work in Mean Field Game Theory – which has major applications for the design of AI based Distributed Networks. In addition to the Fields Medal in 1994 that he received for his contributions to Viscosity Solutions, the Boltzmann Equation, and the Calculus of Variations, Prof. Lions is a recipient of the French Academy of Sciences’ Prix-Paul Doistau-Émile Blutet Prize and the Prix Ampère de l’Électricité Prize. He is set to lend his expertise in the field of Distributed AI and Multi-Agent Reinforcement learning.
Welcoming the mathematicians to the TII fold, Dr. Ray O. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Technology Innovation Institute, said: “TII is delighted to bring on board such prestigious names that are making an indelible mark in the evolving world of AI. We look forward to their valuable advise in staying at the cutting-edge of innovation in an area that is critical in shaping the path forward.”
Prof. Mérouane Debbah, Chief Researcher, TII’s AI Cross-Center Unit and Digital Science Research Center (DSRC) said: “We are excited to build a high-caliber team that will significantly add heft and boost TII’s credibility as a serious contender in shaping transformative AI infrastructure. Distributed AI is set to redefine key industries in the future, and with the expertise of such AI stalwarts as well as our existing team that boasts the first UAE national PhD holder in AI, we are in prime position to lead global advancements.”
About Technology Innovation Institute (TII):
Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is the dedicated applied research pillar of Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). TII is a pioneering global research and development center that focuses on applied research and new-age technology capabilities. The Institute has 10 dedicated research centers in quantum, autonomous robotics, cryptography, advanced materials, digital security, directed energy, secure systems, propulsion, biotechnology, and alternative energy. By working with exceptional talent, universities, research institutions and industry partners from all over the world, the Institute connects an intellectual community and contributes to building an R&D ecosystem reinforcing Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s status as a global hub for innovation.
About AI Cross-Center Unit:
Al is a capability embedded across all of Technology Innovation Institute’s (TII) niche research centers. Intrinsic to TII’s operations, the focus of the AI Cross-Center Unit is to develop and invent disruptive core ML technologies that lend themselves to further investigation and deployment across the research centers. The main research lines include the development of a solid foundation of systems and theoretical tools to interact with, manipulate and model data. Machine learning, deep learning and statistical modeling, distributed systems and data management systems, as well as large-scale data mining and fusion are other prime focus areas for AI research.
