A new interdisciplinary project between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Santiago de Chile (Usach) has been awarded with the fund MIT Global Seed Fund. This project, titled “AI Applications for Understanding Planet Formation Dynamics” or “AI Applications for Understanding the Dynamics of Planet Formation”, aims to advance the analysis of astronomical data using artificial intelligence techniques.
The recently awarded fund MIT Global Seed Fund will allow collaboration between the group of Professor Richard Teague of the Planet Formation Lab in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciencesfrom MIT and the Millennium Nucleus on Young Exoplanets and their Moons (YEMS) from Usach, led by professors Sebastián Pérez and Fernando Rannou. This fund, which amounts to approximately 20 thousand dollars, will facilitate academic and student mobility, complementing interdisciplinary efforts in thesis projects in the Ciras Center of our Campus.
The project, called “AI Applications for Understanding Planet Formation Dynamics”, focuses on the use of artificial intelligence to improve the reconstruction and image processing of protoplanetary disks observed by the ALMA Observatory (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array). These disks, considered the birthplaces of the planets, present complex data sets that require advanced techniques for analysis.
The collaboration between Dr. Teague and Dr. Pérez began in October 2023, when they identified common interests in the dynamics of protoplanetary disks and their importance for understanding planetary formation. This project seeks to leverage the complementary strengths of both researchers: Dr. Teague in complex algorithms for data analysis and Dr. Pérez in hydrodynamic modeling of planet-disk interactions.
“This project is a significant step towards the integration of artificial intelligence in astrophysics,” commented Sebastián Pérez. “Combining our skills and collaborating with computer engineers will enable advances in analyzing complex data more efficiently and accurately,” he said.
The project will involve several students from both institutions, who will focus on the development of AI algorithms for data analysis and will have the opportunity to participate in academic exchanges. “We hope to involve several students, both from MIT and Usach, in the development of AI algorithms for data analysis,” Pérez added. “These students will have the opportunity to participate in academic exchanges that will foster collaboration and interdisciplinary learning,” she said.
Several publications in high-impact journals and the development of open source software for the scientific community are anticipated. “Concrete developments will include new image reconstruction algorithms and data analysis methods, with the potential to make significant contributions to our understanding of the intricate processes underlying planetary formation,” Pérez said.
The $20,000 fund will be used equally to finance exchanges and research stays, with the aim of exploring the applicability of modern AI-assisted techniques in the study of planetary formation. This interdisciplinary collaboration has the potential to make significant contributions to our understanding of the processes underlying planetary formation, strengthening the intersection between observational analysis and theoretical modeling in astrophysics.
For more information about previous projects funded by the MIT Global Seed Fund, visit MIT Global Seed Fund Winners.
