Summary of Federal Project Grant Award

The University of Illinois received a CAREER (Faculty Early Career Development) award of $587,981 from the National Science Foundation's Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), effective August 15, 2026, through July 31, 2031. This project will develop compact, energy-efficient artificial intelligence (AI) foundation models capable of inferring internal system states in complex energy systems from limited sensor measurements. The deliverables include physics-aware learning methodologies, adaptive modeling strategies, and energy-efficient AI architectures designed to operate within strict power constraints on facility-grade and fog-level computing infrastructure. These models will enable real-time reconstruction of unmeasured states—such as temperature, voltage, and power balance—in critical infrastructure systems including power grids and thermal energy systems where direct instrumentation is impractical.

Beyond the core technical research deliverables, the project will produce open-access educational curricula at the intersection of artificial intelligence, energy engineering, and infrastructure resilience. The work will advance theoretical foundations for compact foundation models that generalize across heterogeneous dynamic energy systems and establish principles for energy-efficient AI deployment. The broader impacts include improved reliability and resilience of national energy infrastructure and workforce development of students trained in AI applications for energy systems and critical infrastructure monitoring.