Auburn and Tuskegee secure landmark NSF grant to strengthen math foundations for AI

For Auburn and Tuskegee students, the path to tomorrow’s breakthroughs in artificial intelligence will start with something timeless: mathematics. A new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will help prepare them to lead in a field that is reshaping the world.

The award, totaling more than $2 million, supports the universities in developing a research training group focused on the mathematical foundations of AI and data science. Auburn will receive $1.5 million, and Tuskegee will receive about $600,000.

The NSF’s Research Training Group (RTG) program in the Division of Mathematical Sciences, which has funded more than 130 projects nationwide in the past 20 years, is designed to prepare undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers for advanced work in mathematics and related fields. Auburn’s project is the first AI-focused training group supported through the RTG program. It is also the first time Institutions from Alabama received awards from this program.

“This has really put Auburn and Tuskegee at the forefront of AI research,” said lead principal investigator Yanzhao Cao, the Don Logan Endowed Chair in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and director of the department’s graduate program. “It puts the state of Alabama in the national AI conversation.”

Cao said that focus underscores a central idea: mathematics is the force behind AI.

“Behind every AI tool lies an algorithm, and behind every algorithm is a mathematical model. Therefore, solid foundation in mathematics is essential for building AI systems that are both robust and trustworthy,” he said.

Cao emphasized that the project is a true team effort, highlighting the contributions of Ash Abebe, interim dean of Auburn’s Graduate School and co-PI, senior investigator and interim department chair Hal Schenck, and co-PIs Nedret Billor, Junshan Lin and Shiwen Mao. He also recognized senior investigators Pete Johnson, Ginny Zheng and Yiming Zhong at Auburn, as well as the Tuskegee team led by Mohammed Qazi.

“Their diverse expertise makes it possible to integrate mathematics, statistics, data science, computer science and computer engineering in a truly interdisciplinary way,” he said.

Over the next five years, the program will train 30 to 40 undergraduates, 6 to 10 graduate students and 3 to 5 postdoctoral researchers. Tuskegee will host summer schools and workshops for undergraduates, while Auburn will lead graduate and postdoctoral training.

The work will focus on three core areas: Mathematical theory of generative AI and with applications in wireless communication, statistical and topological data analysis with applications to medical data, and differential equation-based machine learning with applications to cybersecurity. Students will rotate through these areas to gain both theoretical and practical experience.

With support from industry partners — from a large New York-based insurance company to an Alabama-based AI firm — students will tackle real-world problems. Cao said that kind of experience will strengthen the grant’s lasting impact on both students and the state.

“Our students will be trained not only with a solid foundation in mathematics but also with the capability of solving real-world AI problems,” Cao said. “Students with solid math foundations are poised to become the next generation of leaders in AI. Our goal is to train a strong workforce for Alabama and the nation in a collaborative and interdisciplinary way, not only for careers in academia but also for industry.”

For Auburn and Tuskegee, the grant is more than a milestone — it’s a launchpad. By opening doors for students at every level, the universities are helping shape both the future of AI and the direction of the technology itself.