Three current postdoc research projects at U of T dive into topics from veterinary science and urban methane monitoring to fall prevention in older adults. The common thread between them? Each research project was transformed by innovative AI-fueled research.
In a new article at Arts & Science News, Sean Bettam explores three startups launched by recipients of the Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellows at U of T. The program is led by Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik, director of the Acceleration Consortium, which pairs robotics with AI to advance materials science, along with Lisa Strug, director of the Data Sciences Institute, one of the world’s largest clusters of scientists working on innovative approaches to data that drive actionable research insights.
“By providing researchers with the vision and skills to develop a toolbox that accelerates science, the program is producing a generation of AI-fluent scientists, ready to expand new research methodologies across a range of fields,” said Aspuru-Guzik, a professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Computer Science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, and a Canada CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute.
The Schmidt fellowships aim to accelerate the next scientific revolution by applying artificial intelligence to research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Department of Chemistry fellows in the program include Ishrath Mohamed Irshadeen, whose research with Professor Helen Tran and Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik focuses on using machine learning to model peptoids to predict their solubility in different environments, and Jiaru Bai, who is developing a cognitive operating system for self-driving labs, one that supports dynamic, heterogeneous workflows and adapts to unforeseen conditions.
“By taking advantage of commercial opportunities presented throughout their fellowships, these entrepreneurial researchers are ensuring the fruits of their Schmidt-supported data-informed work are made available to the wider world,” Strug told A&S News. “It embodies the ultimate goal of making the world better that is at the heart of all that Eric and Wendy Schmidt do.”
Applications for the fourth cohort of Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellows at U of T are now being accepted until October 8, 2025.
“By providing researchers with the vision and skills to develop a toolbox that accelerates science, the program is producing a generation of AI-fluent scientists, ready to expand new research methodologies across a range of fields.” -Prof. Alán Aspuru-Guzik
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A&S News: Schmidt AI in Science Fellows leverage accelerated research into promising commercial ventures.
Synergy In Science: Jiaru Bai's March profile in Chemistry Stories.
Eric and Wendy Schmidt AI In Science Postdoctoral Fellowship at U of T.