Two engineering projects receive Center for Socially Responsible AI seed funding
Jan 14, 2026
Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared on Penn State News.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CSRAI) has announced the results of its most recent seed-funding competition. The center awarded more than $152,000 to seven interdisciplinary research projects representing six colleges, including two projects involving College of Engineering faculty.
Each proposal was evaluated by peers for its connection to the center’s mission, intellectual merit and potential for securing external funding. The awards will support the formation of interdisciplinary research teams and early-stage projects that demonstrate strong potential to obtain external funding. Projects are expected to start spring 2026 and last one to two years.
“We had another record-setting year in terms of the volume of submissions, making our seed grant program extremely competitive,” said S. Shyam Sundar, CSRAI director and James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Effects in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications.
The winning proposals came from a wide range of collaborations involving faculty from a variety of disciplines in science, engineering, information science and technology, health and human development, liberal arts and communication. They were all evaluated positively through a blind peer review process, not only for advancing AI, but also for their social implications, including the extent to which they are responsive to societal needs and their potential for social good.
“Human-centered AI was the winner this year,” said Sundar. "Whether the proposal is to plan for public transportation or urban disasters, or to improve the effectiveness of parent-focused psychotherapy or enhance language learning by non-speaking children, the projects all focus on aligning AI with human social values."
Synopses of the awarded proposals to the two projects involving engineering faculty are shared below, with additional information available on the center’s website. The full list of projects can be found here.
“AI Augmented Urban Resilience Agents with Model-Based Behavioral Priors and Theory-Driven Adaptation for Urban Disasters”
This project aims to create a system that uses advanced AI models combined with real-world data and psychological insights to simulate how people respond and adapt during disasters. The agents will blend realistic data with behavioral science to produce clear, interpretable simulations that improve urban emergency planning, risk communication, and resilience in different disaster scenarios and urban settings.
- Yuqing Hu,assistant professor of architectural engineering
- Rui Zhang,assistant professor of computer science and engineering
“Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence for Public Transportation Services”
This project will develop a new AI approach for transit planning that reflects the priorities of community members and transit workers and better aligns with local needs. By combining community engagement with machine learning, the team will test a model that learns and incorporates human preferences into advanced planning tools.
- AronLaszka, College of Information Sciences and Technology
- YiqiZhang, Korb Early Career Associate Professor in Industrial Engineering
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