Welcome to the Institute for AI & Computational Research (IACR) at the University of Rhode Island — a collaboratively supported effort by central IT Services (ITS), the Vice President for Research’s Office, the Provost’s Office, and faculty contributions through research grants.
The Institute’s mission is to support, promote and grow high-level interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary computational research — artificial intelligence (AI), data science (Data), high-performance computing (HPC), and quantum computing (Quantum) — across URI campuses, in the region, and beyond. The computational work of over 150 faculty researchers is supported by this Institute. A quick snapshot of IACR resources is available here: IACR at-a-glance. For details on the broad topic of Generative AI, and the relevant university-wide efforts and guidelines, please visit the URI Provost’s AI page.
The IACR has an internal advisory group of key URI faculty members: Drs. Chris Kincaid (Oceanography); Ying Zhang (Life Sciences), Jason Dwyer (Associate Dean, College of A&S), Chris Hemme (INBRE Bioinformatics Core Coordinator, College of Pharmacy) and Drew Zhang (Alfred J. Verrecchia Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Business Analytics) and is led by Gaurav Khanna (Asst. Vice President for Research Computing). The Institute partners closely with the Massachusetts High-Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC). IACR was formerly known as the URI Center for Computational Research.
Email us at iacr-group@uri.edu with questions, comments, suggestions — anything!
News
Hack@URI 2026 a major success! - The IACR’s AI Lab supported the student organizers of Hack@URI 2026 during the early stages of the event by assisting with planning and helping identify fundraising opportunities. The team, met regularly with the organizers to monitor progress and provide guidance. Indrani Mandal and students from the AI Lab — Callum Magarian, Patrick Sullivan, Liam McKenzie, […]
IACR resources support major ocean current discovery! - https://www.uri.edu/news/2026/02/computer-simulations-show-strong-ocean-currents-reduce-size-of-surface-waves/ Congratulations Dr. Ginis and team!
IACR presents to the Senate Committee on AI at the State House - Indrani Mandal and Gaurav Khanna from the IACR along with CIO Gabriele Fariello were invited to present at the State House for a meeting of the Senate Committee on AI and Emerging Tech. The topics where: A full recording of the session is available here: https://capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/11713
IACR Lightning Talks — March 6th - LIGHTNING TALKS & NETWORKING AI & ADVANCED COMPUTATIONALLY ENHANCED RESEARCH APPROACHES MARCH 6. 2026. 11:15 am – 12:45 pm ANCHOR ROOM, URI WELCOME CENTER Contact: jpeckham@uri.edu Hosts: Intended Audience: Faculty and graduate researchers. Hear from URI Researchers who have harnessed AI and Advanced Computation to enhance research in multiple disciplines. Included will be lightning talks […]
Rhode Island’s AI Task Force Report - Rhode Island Governor’s AI Task Force has completed its work and has released a detailed report that highlights the recommended actions the state should take to leverage the advances in AI and protect against the potential downsides. The RI Current has a summary: https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/01/28/rhode-island-releases-its-roadmap-for-ai-some-boundaries-have-yet-to-be-drawn/ Here is the whole 75-page document: https://etss.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur466/files/2026-01/Final-Rhode-Island-AI-Action-Plan-Report-2026-01-26.pdf