The Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) is awarding 20 fellowships to University faculty through its Faculty Upskilling Fellowships in artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum sciences program. The institute is investing over $300,000 to support 14 AI-focused fellowships, two quantum-focused fellowships and four fellowships that combine AI and quantum sciences. The program provides faculty members with the opportunity to learn new skills in these domains and to focus on professional development. Credit: AntonKhrupinArt/Adobe Stock.
Institute funds seven engineering faculty fellows in AI and quantum sciences
The Institute for Computational and Data Sciences’ Faculty Upskilling Fellowship program will invest over $300K to support Penn State faculty on artificial intelligence and quantum sciences projects
Nov 20, 2025
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) has awarded 20 fellowships to University faculty, including seven to College of Engineering 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.
Selected AI-focused fellows from the College of Engineering are:
- Amrita Basak, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, College of Engineering
- XianbiaoHu, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering
- Yuqing Hu, assistant professor of architectural engineering, College of Engineering
- Bin Li, associate professor of electrical engineering and of computer science and engineering, College of Engineering
- WangdaZuo, professor of architectural engineering, College of Engineering
Selected quantum-focused fellows are:
- Victor Sparrow, United Technologies Corporation Professor in Acoustics, College of Engineering
Selected dual AI- and quantum-focused fellows from the College of Engineering are:
- Mia Jin, assistant professor of nuclear engineering, College of Engineering
A complete list of all 20 fellows can be found here. For more information, visit the ICDS website.
Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared on Penn State News.
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