Federal Grant Award Summary

Oklahoma State University received a $357,497 CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Information and Intelligent Systems under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070), effective March 15, 2026 through February 28, 2031. This project grant supports research and education initiatives focused on developing artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions to automate analog circuit debugging through human-AI collaboration. The primary deliverables include architectural and algorithmic foundations for AI technologies designed to accumulate, represent, and transfer analog circuit debugging expertise to novice engineers, with specific focus on retrieval-augmented generation systems for root cause identification, multi-agent systems that balance hypothesis generation with problem-space reduction, and differential privacy-based security mechanisms to protect proprietary bug-related information.

The research addresses critical workforce and productivity challenges in the U.S. semiconductor industry by reducing manual debugging timelines and mitigating knowledge loss from retiring subject matter experts. By automating complex diagnostic processes, the project aims to enhance economic competitiveness through improved time-to-market and increased productivity while simultaneously protecting sensitive company intellectual property. The CAREER award structure integrates research outcomes directly into educational activities, leveraging AI copilot artifacts developed through the project to enhance student learning and workforce development in advanced debugging methodologies.