Adapted from a story by Andrew Thurston for The Brink
CISE faculty affiliate Yannis Paschalidis serves as co-principal investigator on the four-year initiative.
Boston University has been awarded nearly $20 million National Science Foundation award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the National Cloud Lab Network, a four-year initiative that will create a nationwide network of AI-enabled, remotely accessible cloud laboratories. Led by Douglas Densmore, professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Materials Science & Engineering and founding director of the DAMP Lab, the project aims to expand access to advanced research infrastructure, accelerate scientific discovery, and strengthen U.S. leadership in automated science and engineering.
Yannis Paschalidis, Distinguished Professor of Engineering, professor of Computing & Data Sciences and Biostatistics, CISE faculty affiliate, and Director of the Hariri Institute for Computing, serves as co-principal investigator on the award. Keith Brown, professor of Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, and Physics and Division Head of Materials Science & Engineering, also serves as co-principal investigator.
The National Cloud Lab Network will develop the technologies, standards, and workflows needed to connect cloud laboratories across the country, enabling researchers to remotely access sophisticated scientific instruments and AI-powered experimental platforms.
The award builds on earlier work supported by the Hariri Institute’s Focused Research Program, “From Self-Driving Labs to Community-Driven Labs,” led by Brown. The FRP demonstrated the feasibility of shared autonomous research infrastructure and helped shape approaches to developing community-accessible cloud laboratories. This work complements the DAMP Lab’s longstanding leadership in laboratory automation and programmable experimentation.
By connecting AI with remotely accessible laboratory infrastructure, the National Cloud Lab Network will broaden access to AI-enabled research, accelerate discovery, and strengthen U.S. leadership in automated science and engineering.
Find the full story on The Brink:
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2026/nsf-awards-20-million-establish-national-cloud-lab-network/
Read the NSF Announcement:
https://www.nsf.gov/tip/updates/nsf-announces-400m-investment-new-national-network-ai