NIH Awards $3.1M Grant to Kayhan Batmanghelich for Pulmonary Biomarker Research
AI-driven approach integrates Multi-Modal Data and Biomechanics for Better Diagnosis and Tracking of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) By Maureen Stanton Kayhan Batmanghelich, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hariri Institute Junior Faculty Fellow and AIR Affiliate at Boston University, was awarded a $3.1 million competitive renewal R01 grant from the National Institutes of […]
Predicting the Future of Protein Science
By Maureen Stanton A BU-led interdisciplinary research team, bringing together expertise in biomedical engineering, applied mathematics, and theoretical physics, has won top honors at the internationally renowned CASP16 (Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction) competition. The group earned top ranking in predicting multiprotein complexes, a critical benchmark of accuracy and innovation in computational modeling. Multiprotein complexes […]
Mayank Varia and Collaborators Win Best Paper at ACM CS&Law 2025
By Maureen L. Stanton Legal-Tech Framework enables confidential reporting of private misconduct settlements At the intersection of technology and justice, Boston University Professor Mayank Varia, with an interdisciplinary research team from Northwestern University, introduces a new, fully-integrated policy and technical approach to balance private settlement confidentiality with public oversight. Their work, honored with the Best […]
New Research Tackles Future of Encryption in the Age of Quantum Computing
By Maureen L. Stanton Today’s encryption faces mounting risks—from escalating cyberattacks to the looming threat of quantum computing. As digital systems grow more complex and reliant on cloud and third-party services, vulnerabilities multiply. JP Morgan, for instance, reports that it blocks 45 billion hacking attempts daily. But the bigger threat is on the horizon: “Q-Day”—the […]
The Heat Divide: Mapping America’s Unequal Burden of Heat
BU Study Maps Climate Change, Demographics, and Disaster Risk, Providing Actionable Insights By Maeve Smillie and Maureen Stanton By mid-century, the U.S. will be a much hotter place. Heatwaves will last longer, summer temperatures will soar, and the number of dangerously hot days will rise sharply—especially in the US South. But not everyone will feel […]
How American Sign Language Helped Reveal Languages’ Hidden Patterns
Discoveries could transform how we learn, recover, and model language By Maureen L. Stanton Are words arbitrary? For centuries, scientists believed that words are essentially random sounds that are given meaning. For example, there’s nothing about the sound of the word “dog” that tells you what it means—it’s just something we’ve learned. Following this logic, […]
AI-powered Breakthrough in Plasma Science Delivers New Computational Efficiencies
Unlocks Potential for Space and Fusion Research By Maureen Stanton Plasma physics plays a critical role in a wide array of scientific and technological fields, from understanding the Sun and other stars to predicting space weather, advancing fusion energy, and exploring cosmic phenomena like black holes and neutron stars. However, accurately simulating plasma behavior is […]
Boston University Announces Task Force on Convergent Research and Education
Task force members include Hariri Institute faculty affiliates By Maria Yaitanes Boston University President Melissa Gilliam, MD, announced the launch of the BU Task Force on Convergent Research and Education in a recent memo. Convergent research is a collaborative approach that goes beyond interdisciplinary research to solve specific, complex societal problems that require diverse disciplinary […]
New Research Introduces Privacy-Preserving AI Framework for Detecting Cognitive Impairment from Voice Recordings
By Hariri Institute Staff A collaborative team of researchers, including Hariri Institute faculty affiliates Vijaya Kolachalama, PhD, FAHA, associate professor of medicine, and Rhoda Au, professor of epidemiology, anatomy & neurobiology, has developed a new computational framework that can detect early signs of cognitive impairment from digital voice recordings—while protecting individual privacy. The findings, published in […]
News Article or Big Oil Advertisement?
A BU-led study shows how advertisements, formatted like journalism, are being used by oil giants to influence public opinion. The researchers reveal strategies to help readers recognize ads and reduce their susceptibility to misleading claims. By Alison Gold In the battle against climate disinformation, native advertising is a fierce foe. A study published today in […]