Norman, Oklana. – In almost a quarter of the University of Oklahoma's research rooted in AI, OU is leveraging its transformational power throughout the field as it promotes real-world solutions and equips students to thrive as professionals and citizens amid rapid technological change. To further expand its commitment to expanding AI-driven innovation at universities and providing key AI education to students, OU has appointed Dr. Shishir Shah as the first university-wide director of artificial intelligence, withheld approval for the OU Regent.
“The University of Oklahoma is at the forefront of using artificial intelligence to solve complex problems and promote meaningful change,” says Joseph Harroz Jr.
Shah's arrival comes at a critical moment for the university as it focuses on AI as a key priority in its “Read-on, University: Next Stage” strategic plan. By advancing the university-wide strategy in AI innovation, research, education and implementation, Shah will lead fees to rethink curriculum and academic opportunities, integrate AI into the entire student education experience, ensuring that OU graduates will participate in literacy and responsible AI-Users who can leverage their technology for the greatest impact.
OU's Data Institute, which develops a convergence research team to deliver advances in data science, AI and machine learning, recently announced a nearly $200,000 award for pilot seed funding to 20 AI-centric projects that touch on topics from legal education to clinical imaging reports.
This new activity is based on OU's existing commitment to AI-enabled research. In the health field, university researchers are using AI to develop new endoscopic optical imaging techniques, researching cardiac arrhythmia, and making genetic discoveries that could lead to future breakthroughs in personalized medicine. AI will promote next-generation weather research at OU. Student researchers study the work of senior Capstone on explanatory artificial intelligence and tornado formation, deploying AI, including seniors who tackle harsh weather issues that affect Oklahomans each year.
Under Shah's leadership, the OU will be poised to reinforce its role at the forefront of the ethical and transformative use of AI, expanding its global impact and capabilities to address the most complex challenges of society.
Shah's research expertise is focused on computer vision and machine learning, and he is an expert in re-identification of individuals, human movement and behavior analysis, and microscopic image analysis. His recent work addresses the challenges of real-world AI, pushing the boundaries of adaptive and intelligent systems in complex environments.
Sher came to OU from the University of Houston, where he served as professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science. He founded and led UH's Quantitative Imaging Laboratory, focusing on developing advanced imaging and video analysis tools to support complex decision-making. He received his Mechanical Engineering, MS and PhD. in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining the University of Houston in 2005, she served as a faculty member at Wayne State University before moving into leadership roles at two startups.
In addition to this appointment, Shah will be joining the Gallery Engineering Department as Director of the Computer Science School. He will jointly report to Senior Vice President and Provost, both OU Norman and OU's Health Sciences Campus.
