Project description
Harnessing frugal AI for computational astrophysics
Recent technological advances are enabling daily monitoring of large swaths of the sky over extended periods. This hyperspectral/multiwavelength view of the sky creates huge data sets requiring powerful computational and statistical methods to paint the big picture from the infinite details. The EU-funded TITAN project will appoint an outstanding researcher as the ERA Chair of Astroinformatics to develop and lead a research programme in computational astrophysics and data science at the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH) in Greece with a focus on frugal AI in astrophysics applications. The capacity building, institutional and infrastructure development and partnership activities will transform FORTH and open a new window on the astronomical processes of our Universe.
Objective
Beneath the amazing colors of the beautiful images collected by telescope facilities in space and on remote mountaintops lie numbers, and lots of them. These data contain the scientific information astronomers need in order to reveal the physical properties of the Universe and the laws that govern its function. Recent advances in detector technologies and large focal plane CCD arrays enable astronomers to efficiently monitor a hyperspectral/multiwavelength view of the sky, thus opening the last unexplored window, the one of time domain in short time scales. This ability of daily monitoring big swaths of the sky over extended periods produces astronomical datasets at an astounding rate, revealing the transient and often violent face of the Universe. Hence, researchers need to develop more powerful computational and statistical methods to tackle the data, to get the big picture view out of the underlying science details.
The TITAN project will appoint an outstanding researcher as the ERA Chair holder of Astroinformatics to incept and lead a research program in computational astrophysics and data science, which will couple, transform and expand two major research operations at FORTH - Computer Science and Astrophysics - while rooting an effective bridge between regional research excellence and international missions. Our grand vision is to create a true interdisciplinary, international and multicultural center of excellence for developing the tools, methods, and applications of computational science, machine learning, and statistics for research and education in data-oriented Astronomy. TITAN will fully unlock the potential of FORTH, the Cretan region and Greece through the implementation of a set of measures geared towards: capacity building (expansion of the research program, advanced training opportunities); institutional development and structural change; and intersectoral and international partnership activities in the field of Computational Astrophysics.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesdata science
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsoptical sensors
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputational science
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyastrophysics
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencesartificial intelligencemachine learning
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-AG - HORIZON Action Grant Budget-BasedCoordinator
70013 Irakleio
Greece