AI for Science: Kickoff 2026

Описание: This inaugural event brings together the pioneers who are defining how AI will accelerate scientific discovery — from Nobel and Fields Medal laureates to the leaders shaping AI innovation across academia, research labs, and industry.

The event features keynote talks by leading AI Scientists and Mathematicians, as well as panel discussions focusing on perspectives on AI from three sides: Mathematics, Higher Education, and Industry.

Tentative Agenda
(All times in this Schedule are Pacific Time (PT))
Tuesday, February 10, 2026

[Morning Session]

9:00 - 9:15
Welcome and Opening Remarks

9:15 - 9:45
Keynote speech
Machine assistance and the future of research mathematics
by Terence Tao (Fields Medalist, Professor at UCLA, Co-Founder of SAIR Foundation)

9:45 - 10:00
Break

10:00 - 10:30
Keynote speech
LIGO: 10 Years of New Science
by Barry Barish (Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics, Founding Advisory Board Member of SAIR Foundation)

10:30 - 10:45
Break

10:45 - 12:00
Panel: AI & Mathematics.
Moderator: Terence Tao (Fields Medalist, Professor at UCLA, Co-Founder of SAlR Foundation)
Panelists: Andrea Bertozzi (Distinguished Professor of Mathematics and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, UCLA), Deanna Needell (Professor of Mathematics, Dunn Family Endowed Chair in Data Theory, UCLA), Hayden Schaeffer (Professor & Director of Applied Mathematics, UCLA), Damek Davis (Associate Professor, Department of Statistics and Data Science, University of Pennsylvania).

[Afternoon Session]

1:30 - 2:00
Keynote speech: The Future of AI
by Richard Sutton (Turing Award Winner, Professor at University of Alberta, Founder of Openmind Research Institute)

2:00 - 2:15
Break

2:15 - 3:30
Panel: AI & Science -- Industry Leadership.
Moderator: Chuck Ng (Co-Founder of SAIR Foundation).
Panelists: Hoifung Poon (General Manager, Microsoft Research), Jiantao Jiao (Director of AI & Distinguished Scientist at NVIDIA, Professor at UC Berkeley), Erran Li (Head of Science, Amazon AWS), Sebastian Bubeck (Member of Technical Staff at OpenAI, Former Vice President of AI at Microsoft).

3:30 - 4:00
Break

4:00 - 5:15
Panel: AI & Science -- Higher Education Transformation.
Moderator: Miguel Garcia-Garibay (Dean of Physical Sciences at UCLA, Co-Founder of SAIR Foundation).
Panelists: Bhuvnesh Jain (Co-Director, UPenn Data Driven Discovery Initiative), Peter Loewen (Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Government, Cornell), Brenda Rubenstein (Krieble Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Physics, Director of Data Science, Brown University), Yannis Yortsos (Dean of Viterbi School of Engineering, USC). See less