Workshop: Artificial Intelligence in Engineering Design & Systems Engineering (AI-EDSE): Opportunities & Challenges for Societal Impact; West Lafayette, Indiana; 16-17 October 2025

The objective of this workshop is to identify and articulate research issues and methodologies at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Engineering Design and Systems Engineering (EDSE), with the goal of enabling high societal impact. Recent advances in AI, including generative models, reinforcement learning, digital twins, and human-AI collaboration, are transforming the way engineers design systems, make decisions, and interact with digital tools and data. These advances are reshaping not only the kinds of products and systems that can be designed but also the processes by which they are created and the roles of designers and systems engineers. This workshop will provide a forum for fostering dialog among experts from the EDSE and AI communities, as well as application domains, to examine how AI can amplify EDSE research and practice, and what methodological and theoretical innovations are needed to enable that future.

The workshop will build on the outcomes of prior NSF-sponsored EDSE workshops, focusing on the research implications of emerging AI technologies for future engineering design and systems engineering work. Specific emphasis will be placed on identifying new integration mechanisms for AI within EDSE, uncovering high-impact research opportunities, and developing strategies for amplifying collective impact across academia and industry. Expected outcomes include the identification of foundational research questions, the development of methodological frameworks, and the articulation of high-quality research standards to guide the field. The outcomes of the workshop will be disseminated through a workshop report, a curated online video archive, and peer-reviewed journal publications. The workshop will also contribute to the professional development of faculty and researchers across U.S. universities, helping them incorporate cutting-edge insights into their research and educational practices and better prepare engineers for an AI-enabled future.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Award Number: 2535707
Principal Investigator: Jitesh Panchal
Funds Obligated: $50,000
State: IN