The Vanderbilt Lab for Immersive AI Translation (VALIANT)—a new center where artificial intelligence, machine learning methods, and high-performance computing are poised to tackle real-world challenges—celebrated its grand opening on Thursday, March 27.
An overflow crowd filled the newly renovated VALIANT facility for a research showcase and ribbon cutting ceremony. The Lab’s AI Scholars presented research that includes medical imaging and the corresponding data analysis of the brain, eye, lung and pancreas on VALIANT’s 3D TV, a self-supervised vision foundation model for Andean archaeology, a deep learning architecture for inferring functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals from electroencephalography (EEG) data, and more.
“This is a thrilling moment. I am so proud and so excited to see this vision of cross-field collaboration that transforms research and will transform higher education,” said Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver. “VALIANT will change and improve the world.”
Located at Vanderbilt University’s School of Engineering, VALIANT brings together engineers, computer scientists and scholars from business, law, medicine, education and the humanities in a collaborative environment. The center was made possible by Discovery Vanderbilt, an investment initiative in the Office of the Provost that aims to drive new knowledge and solutions to the world’s greatest challenges by developing an internal ecosystem for discovery and providing support for research and innovation.
VALIANT Director and University Distinguished Professor Bennett Landman holds the Stevenson Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering and has joint appointments in computer science, biomedical engineering, radiology and radiological sciences, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, biomedical informatics, and neurology.
“I am humbled that VALIANT has brought so many brilliant and creative people to address society’s most pressing problems,” Landman said. “We have seen such amazing energy and innovation in the first year that I can barely imagine what our community can accomplish together in the next.”
VALIANT is comprised of 12 laboratories and includes approximately 41 AI Fellows and 65 AI Scholars. The Lab’s AI Scholars and AI Faculty Fellows programs for doctoral students and faculty researchers, respectively, provides growth opportunities for its members. VALIANT also leverages an existing network of international research collaborators to engage industry, visiting scholars and student trainees from around the world.
“I think Bennett met and talked to every person using AI at Vanderbilt in order to include the support of everyone,” said Krish Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor. “Collaboration is our major strength, and this was a huge opportunity to connect researchers across the university.”
Landman brought his vision of a transformative center to Roy and to Provost Raver. “We extend our gratitude to Provost Raver. The Discovery centers are her brainchild,” Roy said. VALIANT is the fifth Discovery center created at Vanderbilt since the initiative’s start in 2022.