November 21 2025 -- The Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) has awarded 20 fellowships to University faculty through its Faculty Upskilling Fellowships in artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum sciences program. The program seeks to provide faculty members with the opportunity to learn new skills and to focus on professional development.

The institute is investing more than $300,000 to support 14 AI-focused fellowships, two quantum-focused fellowships and four fellowships that combine AI and quantum sciences. Through the program, faculty members design their own learning plan dedicated to gaining proficiency in each discipline by learning to use available software and hardware, mastering specific technology or algorithms, exploring new technologies and applying the new skills learned to their research programs.

Fellows will learn more about the central concepts of each discipline and how they can be applied to different areas of research, including health care, quantum computing, extended and virtual reality, education and sustainability.

"It is part of ICDS’ mission to create a space that empowers faculty, enables innovative collaborations and accelerates scientific breakthroughs,” said Guido Cervone, ICDS director. “Through the Faculty Upskilling Fellowships program, Penn State faculty will have the opportunity to take time to master new skills in AI and quantum sciences while fostering a community interested in applying new methodologies to fundamental research.”

The program will fund faculty across eight colleges, 17 departments and three Penn State campuses — University Park, Beaver and Hershey.

"My learning plan grows out of a genuine fascination with how quantum computing could change the way we think about computers and learning systems,” said Jia Li, professor of statistics, who was selected for a fellowship. “I want to begin by building an accessible understanding of how quantum mechanics leads to new ways of designing computers and what that might mean for the difficulty of solving various kinds of problems. On a practical level, I also hope to explore how emerging quantum-style algorithms could be used in areas like data analysis and machine learning.”  

Another selected fellow, Priya Sharma, associate professor of education, aims to gain a better understanding of how AI tools work and how these methods can be integrated across multiple research directions in her field.

“I hope to understand how I can become a better and more informed consumer about AI and how it can be integrated into teaching and learning, keeping ethics and responsible use at the center of all of my research,” Sharma said. “To meet that goal, I aim to learn more about large language models and AI integration, machine learning for educational data mining and human-centered designs of all AI systems. I want to apply my knowledge to mentor education students at the intersection of AI and learning.”

Selected AI-focused fellows are:

• Amrita Basak, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, College of Engineering
• Dana Calacci, ICDS co-hire and assistant professor of informatics and intelligent systems, College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST)
• Christopher Daryl Cameron, associate professor of psychology, College of the Liberal Arts
• Sona Golder, professor of political science, College of the Liberal Arts
• Xianbiao Hu, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering
• Yuqing Hu, assistant professor of architectural engineering, College of Engineering
• Prasanna Karunanayaka, associate professor of radiology, of public health services and of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics, College of Medicine
• Nima Khodakarami, assistant professor of health policy and administration, Penn State Beaver
• Ashish Kumar, Thomas V. and Jean C. Falkie Mining Faculty Fellow and assistant professor of mining engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
• Bin Li, associate professor of electrical engineering and of computer science and engineering, College of Engineering
• Shimin Liu, Deike Chair Professor in Mining engineering and professor of energy and mineral engineering and of mining engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences
• Priya Sharma, associate professor of education, College of Education
• Ellen “Wenting” Zou, ICDS co-hire and assistant professor of education, College of Education
• Wangda Zuo, professor of architectural engineering, College of Engineering

Selected quantum-focused fellows are:

• Vasant Honavar, ICDS co-hire and professor of informatics and intelligent systems, College of IST
• Victor Sparrow, United Technologies Corporation Professor in Acoustics, College of Engineering

Selected dual AI- and quantum-focused fellows are:

• Dezhe Jin, associate professor of physics, Eberly College of Science
• Mia Jin, assistant professor of nuclear engineering, College of Engineering
• Jia Li, professor of statistics and computer science, Eberly College of Science
• Chaoxing Liu, professor of physics, Eberly College of Science