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UC Davis AI Center in Engineering

The UC Davis College of Engineering is leading the way in foundational AI research as well as translational applications and AI education efforts. 

The mission of the UC Davis AI Center in Engineering is to build transformative collaboration on AI efforts within the college, across the UC Davis campus, and with industry partners, policymakers and the community to leverage AI for the betterment of humanity and the planet.

Research Areas

Events

Education

Research Resources

Entrepreneurship

News

Leadership

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Research Areas

Our faculty experts are working to explore and enhance AI in 10 key research areas. 
Click the research area titles below to meet our experts in these areas.

Foundations of AI
Foundations of AI   |   AI and Agriculture   |   AI and Climate   |   AI and Education   |   AI and Energy   |   AI and Health

AI and Mobility   |   AI and Robotics, Sensors & HCI   |   AI and Society   |   Hardware & Software Engineering for AI

Events

UC Davis AI Center in Engineering on top of a gold background

UC Davis AI Center in Engineering Workshop

May 30, 2025
A graphic for the Research Expo that says "Leveraging AI in Research"

April 30: Leveraging AI in Research: Applications, Resources and Collaborations Across UC Davis

Apr 30, 2025
A photo collage of people in a conference room watching and giving presentations

Computational Social Science Escape 2025: Engineering our Experimental AI Futures

Feb 28, 2025

View calendar & watch recorded talks

Education

The UC Davis College of Engineering has a vast list 
of courses that explore artificial intelligence.

AI

Featured: ECS 011 — Artificial Intelligence for All

Comprehensive introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) and its multifaceted applications. Foundational understanding of modern AI to enable effective communication about its functions, recognition of its applications, and awareness of its core principles. Ethical and societal implications of AI.

Learn More

See more AI courses in the College of Engineering

Research Resources and Funding Opportunities

  • UC Davis Artificial Intelligence (AI) Council
  • In May 2024, Chancellor Gary May convened a UC Davis AI Council with a charge “to work collaboratively to develop campus-based principles and a proposed governance structure to guide the appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence on our two campuses” consistent with the UC Responsible AI Principles as laid out in the UCOP Presidential Working Group Report, Responsible Artificial Intelligence. 

    Learn More
  • NSF Access (compute resources, storage resources, cloud resources, science getaways, etc.)
  • ACCESS is a program established and funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation to help researchers and educators, with or without supporting grants, to utilize the nation’s advanced computing systems and services at no cost to you.

    Learn More
  • NAIRR Pilot
  • The NAIRR Pilot aims to connect U.S. researchers and educators to computational, data, and training resources needed to advance AI research and research that employs AI.

    Learn More
  • "Data Science and AI" curated funding on Pivot
  • Apply
  • Laude Institute funding opportunities
  • Slingshots: fast, low-friction grants and hands-on support to computer scientists turning new research into startups or open source infrastructure

    Moonshots: seed funding and multi-year labs to proven academic researchers using AI to take on species-level challenges.

    Learn More


Open calls for funding from Open Philanthropy Foundation

Interested faculty are encouraged to contact Jennifer Prahl (jlprahl@ucdavis.edu) for assistance.

  • Career development and transition funding
  • Individual applications from undergraduate, postdoc and faculty are eligible as well as non-academics in the corporate sector. Applications are assessed on a rolling basis.

    Apply
  • How to apply for funding
  • Funding capacity-building projects aimed at addressing risks from advanced AI. Various deadlines.

    Apply

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Kunal Mundada, Ty Feng and Sa Liu

CourseAssist AI

A customizable student-developed chatbot that is trained solely on a course's materials. To use, an instructor simply uploads things pertaining to the course, clicks a button to train the AI, and it's ready to use. Students are sent a link to their course's personalized chatbot.

Learn More

Rainbow strips weave into a square

Aizip

Based in Silicon Valley, Aizip is a leader in model design of AI for IoT (AIoT). With its breakthrough neural network architecture and proprietary automated design tools, Aizip has demonstrated a wide range of deep neural networks (DNN) with superior performance. 

Learn More

News

Two people work in lab

UC Davis and Proteus Space to Launch First-Ever Dynamic Digital Twin into Space

Engineering researchers and Proteus Space are shaking up satellite design with the first-ever real-time dynamic digital twin in orbit. The AI-enabled payload, designed in the HRVIP Lab, will model and predict spacecraft health on the fly, redefining the future of spaceflight.
An almond bud on an almond tree

New Research Points to Improved Nitrogen Management in Almond Production

Researchers at UC Davis are using drone imagery and advanced modeling to track nitrogen levels in almond orchards — a step toward more efficient farming. This approach could help growers optimize fertilizer use, protect water quality and improve sustainability in California agriculture
Raissa M. D'Souza, associate dean of research for the UC Davis College of Engineering wearing a pink vest and standing with her arms crossed

AAAS Elects Raissa D’Souza as Fellow

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has elected Raissa M. D’Souza, associate dean of research for the College of Engineering at UC Davis, to its 2024 class of fellows for her distinguished efforts to advance science and its applications.
Portrait of Chen-Nee Chuah

Chen-Nee Chuah Named Co-Director of UC Davis AI Center in Engineering

Chuah will lead the center’s efforts to advance human health through artificial intelligence research and build strategic partnerships with UC Davis Health’s School of Medicine and School of Nursing.
A blue-gloved hand holds a petri dish with greenery under a microscope with overlayed with digital imagery

Targeting Next-Gen Food Systems with AI-Powered Nutrition

Ilias Tagkopoulos, director of the AI Institute for Next-Generation Food Systems at UC Davis, is harnessing AI to revolutionize food and health. From mapping food chemistry to optimizing sustainable production, his research aims to create smarter, healthier and more accessible nutrition for all.
Two students presenting in front of two giant screens

Blog: Democratizing Artificial Intelligence with the AI Student Collective

The AI Student Collective is redefining tech education at UC Davis, making AI and technology careers more accessible to all students through hands-on workshops, high-impact events and industry connections — bridging the gap between academia and the real-world tech landscape.

Read More

Leadership

Are you doing unique or collaborative research in AI? Do you want to connect with one of our experts? Email us at coe-ai@ucdavis.edu.

A portrait of Raissa D'Souza
Raissa M. D'Souza, Acting Director
Associate Dean, Research
Professor of Computer Science and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

 

Portrait of Chen-Nee Chuah
Chen-Nee Chuah, Acting Co-Director
Child Family Professor in Engineering
Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Department Chair Dipak Ghosal
Dipak Ghosal, Acting Co-Director

Bucher Family Chair and Professor of Computer Science
Prem Chand Jain Family Presidential Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Faculty Advisory Board

  • Shirley Ahn, Chemical Engineering
  • Sharon Aviran, Biomedical Engineering
  • Yubei Chen, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Ian Davidson, Computer Science
  • Mason Earles, Biological and Agricultural Engineering
  • Vladimir Filkov, Computer Science
  • Sanjay Joshi, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
  • Marina Leite, Materials Science and Engineering
  • Natarajan Sukumar (Suku), Civil and Enviornmental Engineering
  • Junshan Zhang, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Meet All Faculty

Engineering a better world calls for solutions of a different caliber, demanding innovation across disciplines using a design-centric approach.

We employ and develop intelligent systems and automation, tools at the nano-and-micro- scales and engineering for all that will revolutionize energy systems, strengthen climate resilience, advance human health and transform mobility to bring a sustainable, healthier and more resilient world within reach.

 

Revolutionizing Energy Systems

Windfill with a field in background

Strengthening Climate Resilience

Burnt trees in a red skyline

Transforming Mobility

Rendering of a futuristic car

Advancing Human Health

Two doctors in an operating room
UC Davis College of Engineering