Focused Research Programs

Overview

Hariri Institute catalyzes convergent research and innovation through its Focused Research Programs (FRPs), which provide seed funding for faculty-driven efforts in multi-disciplinary teams to coalesce in sustainable ways. The mission is to evolve and advance discoveries and innovations in computing and AI, with the goal of accelerating research that leads to future funding and broad impact. Learn about these research programs below.

FRP-related News

    FY27 FRPs

    AI for Characterizing and Designing Biomolecular Interactions FRP
    This FRP aims to establish BU as a leader in the application and interpretation of biological foundation models for biomedical research by pursuing two cross-cutting scientific goals—developing principled fine-tuning strategies for adapting foundation models to new biochemical problems and building interpretability tools that reveal what these models encode about biomolecular interactions—executed across three complementary interaction regimes that together enable cross-domain comparison no single-domain project could achieve. Sponsor: Boston University’s Hariri Institute for Computing. Learn more about this FRP.

    AI-enhanced Biophysical Genome-scale Modeling of Cancer FRP
    This program aims to develop a computational “digital twin” of tumors by integrating genome-scale metabolism, spatial growth dynamics, and AI-driven regulatory modeling to predict cancer behavior and therapeutic targets. Its interdisciplinary approach, combining computational modeling, experimental validation, and machine learning, is essential for accurately capturing the complex, heterogeneous interactions within tumor microenvironments. Sponsor: Boston University’s Hariri Institute for Computing. Learn more about this FRP.

    Multi-Scale Neuro-AI for Striatal Learning: Machine Learning, Voltage Imaging, and Safe Perturbation Design FRP

    This FRP will build a BU Neuro-AI community around multi-scale striatal learning by integrating neuromodulator recordings, voltage imaging, machine learning, and reinforcement-learning theory. Collaboration is essential because no single lab spans the measurement, modeling, and causal-testing capabilities needed to connect DA/ACh dynamics to interpretable learning rules and experimentally test them. Sponsor: Boston University’s Hariri Institute for Computing. Learn more about this FRP.

    Redefining Cognitive Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease through Next-generation Digital Cognitive Biomarkers FRP

    The goal of this FRP is to establish BU as a global leader in the development of digital biomarkers of cognition that detect early cognitive decline and differentiate average cognitive aging from changes due to Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders by bringing together expertise in aging, neuropsychology, linguistics, biostatistics, engineering, data science, AI/ML, and computational methods. This Special Track Health Data Science FRP is co-sponsored by the Boston University School of Public Health Center for Health Data Science, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research and the Digital Health Initiative at Hariri Institute.    Learn more about this FRP. 

    Explore previous FRPs below

    Are you a BU faculty member with an idea for a future FRP? Learn more about the application process by clicking here.