Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Florida State University's Sponsored Research Administration Division received a $374,823 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070), effective July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031. This CAREER award supports the development of network-aware collaborative inference systems that enable artificial intelligence services at the network edge without reliance on remote cloud infrastructure. The research deliverables include a decentralized inference framework that optimizes model partitioning and resource allocation across edge devices under dynamic and uncertain network conditions, advancing scientific foundations at the intersection of networking, distributed systems, and artificial intelligence. The project addresses three integrated research thrusts focused on efficient, scalable, and resilient collaborative inference applicable to emerging applications including mobile health, distributed robotics, and intelligent transportation systems.

In addition to research outputs, the award funds the integration of research discoveries into educational curricula through new courses featuring hands-on learning modules on edge intelligence and distributed artificial intelligence. The project strengthens an existing mentoring pipeline spanning K-12 outreach, undergraduate research participation, and graduate training to prepare students for careers in artificial intelligence, systems, and networking. By reconceptualizing wireless networks as coordination substrates rather than communication channels alone, this research aims to support efficient resource pooling and inference performance across distributed edge devices while maintaining low latency and privacy sensitivity.