Federal Grant Award Summary

Cornell University's Office of Sponsored Programs received a $303,663 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Mathematical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. This CAREER (Faculty Early Career Development) award supports fundamental research and educational activities focused on causal discovery—a methodology for identifying causal relationships among multiple variables in complex systems. The project will develop theory and computational methods that enable practitioners across empirical sciences and machine learning to apply causal discovery techniques in practical, trustworthy, and reliable contexts. Key deliverables include rigorous approaches for reasoning about uncertainty in estimated causal structures, practical tools and applications suitable for end users, and educational materials targeting undergraduate and graduate students.

The research addresses significant gaps in applying causal discovery to real-world challenges in biology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. By focusing on causal models representable as directed graphs, the project will advance interpretability and robustness in machine learning systems while enabling researchers in disciplines such as intracellular network biology and neuroscience to recover causal relationships from high-dimensional data. The grant incorporates integrated research and education components consistent with NSF's Mathematical and Physical Sciences program priorities, positioning the work to strengthen the nation's scientific enterprise through both methodological advancement and workforce development.