Foundational AI Meetup@UTK

About the Meetup

The Foundational AI Meetup@UTK is a forum for graduate students and researchers at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and neighboring institutions to exchange ideas, present work, and build an interdisciplinary research community around the foundations and frontiers of artificial intelligence.

The meetup supports the interdisciplinary vision of AI Tennessee, which connects researchers and educators to advance AI innovation, scientific discovery, and real-world impact. It is also motivated by UT's Foundational Artificial Intelligence initiative and its goal of deepening our understanding of intelligence and developing the theories, models, and learning systems needed for the next generation of AI.

Scope

The meetup welcomes research spanning AI foundations and learning, AI for science and autonomous discovery, AI systems and computing, and mission-driven applications of AI.

Meeting Information

• Time: Monday, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

• Location: 435 Min H. Kao Building

• Format: Each one-hour session features either one 45-minute talk followed by 15 minutes of questions and discussion, or two 20-minute talks, each followed by 10 minutes of questions and discussion.

Fall 2026

Organizers

• Dongsheng Ding

• Xiongye Xiao

Participate

Graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and research staff from UTK, ORNL, and neighboring institutions are warmly invited to participate. You are welcome to attend sessions, present completed or ongoing research, discuss emerging ideas, or suggest a topic or speaker. Talks may feature new methods, tools, datasets, applications, or recent papers within the meetup's scope.

Complete the interest form to receive announcements, indicate your interest in attending, or propose a presentation. Completing the form is encouraged but not required to attend.

Please check this page for schedule updates.