Federal Grant Award Summary

Purdue University received a $401,546 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems (Computer and Information Science and Engineering program, CFDA 47.070) effective June 1, 2026 through May 31, 2031. The project, titled "PTM-SEER: Software Engineering Foundations for Re-Using Pre-Trained Neural Models," addresses the engineering challenges associated with discovering, evaluating, adapting, and maintaining pre-trained machine learning models in modern computing systems. The primary deliverables include systematic empirical research on how model reuse differs from traditional software reuse, identification of best practices and taxonomies of engineering behaviors, a novel ecosystem-spanning dataset of pre-trained models for analysis, and the development of practical software engineering tools and techniques to facilitate the full reuse cycle—from model identification and evaluation to selection and maintenance.

The project produces substantial educational materials and resources for K-12 students, undergraduate and graduate learners, and practicing professionals to build workforce capacity in artificial intelligence and machine learning engineering. Through the combination of human factors research, software systems engineering methodologies, and toolkit development, the award aims to lower development costs for intelligent computing systems, enhance U.S. economic competitiveness, strengthen academia-industry partnerships, and expand the pipeline of skilled engineers qualified for opportunities across industry, academia, and government sectors.