Directory · Labs · 39 entries
AI research labs at Boston University
Boston University hosts 39 research labs, centers, and initiatives that develop or apply artificial intelligence. The work spans computer vision, robotics, and medical imaging, along with the ethics and policy questions they raise, across the College of Engineering, the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, and the Hariri Institute, whose AI Research Initiative connects faculty university-wide.
Learning theory & data science
- Artificial and Biological Intelligence LabA computational-neuroscience research group building mathematical and ML models of how populations of neurons compute to produce behaviors such as decision-making and movement.
- Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Media (AIEM)A media-focused research group applying machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision to study how emerging media shape mass and interpersonal communication.
- Barnes GroupA climate-focused research group developing interpretable AI methods to study Earth system variability, predictability, and change across time and space.
- Business Insights through Text (BIT) LabA business-analytics research group extracting consumer-behavior and market insights from text data using causal inference, interpretable ML, and neural language processing.
- Data Science & Machine Learning Lab (Saligrama Lab)A machine-learning research group developing methods that work under resource constraints and limited supervision, with related projects on bias mitigation and network analysis.
- Machine Learning Research GroupA department-wide research community whose faculty build intelligent systems that learn to make decisions, reason about data, and communicate with people.
- Network Optimization and Control LaboratoryA research group focused on optimization, machine learning, and control, developing data-driven methods for networks, autonomous systems, and health analytics.
- Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & EngineeringA university-wide research institute that brings together faculty and students from BU's 13 schools to advance computing, AI, and data science research.
Language & generative AI
- AI Development Accelerator (AIDA)A university-wide initiative guiding responsible generative-AI adoption across BU, providing supported AI tools, training, and events for students, faculty, and staff.
- Digital Business Institute Generative AI LabA business-school research initiative examining how generative AI affects firms, operations, markets, and work, including large language model reliability and algorithmic bias.
- Software & Application Innovation Lab (SAIL)A research-software lab in the Hariri Institute that builds software, data systems, and secure generative-AI tools for Boston University research teams.
- tinlabA computational-linguistics research group studying meaning, generalization, evaluation, and the representations underlying language in humans and machine-learning models.
Vision & imaging
- AI Research Initiative (AIR)A cross-disciplinary research initiative developing computational models for machine intelligence: systems that reliably make decisions, reason about data, and communicate with humans.
- Computational Imaging Systems LabA computational-imaging research group combining physics-based optical models with deep learning to build microscopy and measurement systems for neuroscience, cancer research, and semiconductor metrology.
- Computer Vision and Learning GroupA computer-vision research group studying how models adapt across data distributions, with work on domain adaptation, learning with limited labels, and vision-language tasks.
- Image and Video Computing (IVC)A computer-vision research group developing methods for image and video analysis, machine learning, and human-computer interaction across medical and scientific applications.
- Vision and Graphics Research GroupA computer-science research group spanning computer vision, graphics, and human-computer interaction, with machine learning methods applied across visual computing problems.
- Visual Information Processing (VIP) LabA computer-vision research group building camera-based sensing systems that count and locate people in large indoor spaces using overhead fisheye imagery.
Robotics & autonomous systems
- BU Robotics LaboratoryAn experimental robotics facility housing a motion-capture system, autonomous ground and aerial vehicles, and an on-site workshop for building robots.
- Center for Autonomous and Robotics Systems (CARS)An interdisciplinary engineering center studying the science of autonomy, robotic vehicles and manipulators, and micron-scale robots that manipulate living cells.
- Human-to-Everything (H2X) LabA robotics and AI research group building autonomous systems that assist people in real time, from driving perception to accessible navigation.
- Hybrid and Networked Systems (HyNeSs) LabA control-theory research group combining formal methods, dynamics, and machine learning to design provably correct behavior for robots and autonomous vehicles.
- Material Robotics LaboratoryA soft-robotics research group designing flexible, sensorized surgical instruments and the micro-scale manufacturing techniques needed to build them for minimally invasive procedures.
- Multi-Robot Systems LabA robotics-focused research group designing collaborative robot teams that make fast, decentralized decisions and adapt to unknown agents and environments.
- Robotics & Autonomous Systems Teaching and Innovation Center (RASTIC)A robotics teaching and innovation facility where engineering students design, build, and test robotic systems with staff guidance and mentoring.
Health & life sciences
- Algorithmic Lens on Experimental Biology LaboratoryA computational-biology research group using the mathematics of machine learning to design biological experiments that reveal how cells and tissues are organized.
- Batman LabA machine-learning research group building explainable, data-efficient models for medical image analysis, with attention to multimodal fusion and causal inference.
- BioMolecular Engineering Research Center (BMERC)A computational biology research center developing computer-assisted methods to analyze and design the structure, function, and regulation of biological macromolecules.
- Bridges from AI to Understanding and Reprograming Biology (2AI2BIO)A bioinformatics-focused research group bridging AI and biomedical science, developing machine-learning algorithms to decode, model, and reprogram genomic and biological systems.
- Kolachalama LabA medical-AI research group creating machine-learning methods shaped to clinical problems, from dementia assessment to trial design, rather than forcing problems onto existing tools.
- Neural Systems Analysis Laboratory (NSA Lab)A neuroengineering-focused research group developing AI algorithms that analyze neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and genetics data to understand and treat brain disorders.
- Dependable Computing LaboratoryA formal-methods research group pairing computational proof techniques with machine learning to build safe, reliable, and secure hardware and software systems.
- Security Lab (SeclaBU)A security-focused research group applying program analysis, machine learning, and computational social science to software vulnerabilities and harmful online activity.
Physical sciences & environment
Society, ethics & education
- AI and Education InitiativeA cross-disciplinary initiative facilitating research on AI and human learning across ages and contexts, drawing on computing, education, and social-science perspectives.
- Evidence-Based AI in Learning (EVAL) Industry CollaborativeA research collaborative evaluating how generative AI tools affect K-12 learning outcomes through independent studies conducted with EdTech industry partners.
- Human-AI Interaction in Recruiting & Employment (HIRE) LabAn economics-focused research group studying how AI and digital platforms reshape hiring, labor-market matching, and work, using platform data and randomized experiments.
- Humanities & AI Lab (HAIL)An interdisciplinary research group examining social, political, and ethical questions raised by AI from both humanities and technical perspectives, open to undergraduate and graduate students.
- Shape LabA computer-graphics research group focused on computational fabrication, designing algorithms that connect digital 3D models to physically buildable objects and structures.