UT-Knoxville appoints new director for AI Tennessee Initiative

UT-Knoxville math professor Dr. Vasileios Maroulas was recently selected to serve as associate vice chancellor and director of the AI Tennessee Initiative. (Photo from University of Tennessee website) 

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has appointed mathematics professor Dr. Vasileios Maroulas to serve as director and associate vice chancellor of the AI Tennessee Initiative, where he will lead efforts to expand the number of UT students developing AI skills and collaborative AI research projects.

According to a university announcement, the AI Tennessee Initiative was established in 2022 to strengthen research and education programming focusing on AI, and position the state of Tennessee as a “national and global leader in the data-intensive knowledge economy.”  Maroulas was selected to lead AI Tennessee following the retirement of Lynne Parker.

“I look forward to advancing UT into a leader for AI research, innovation, and education,” Maroulas said in a statement. “By harnessing the power of transdisciplinary research, pioneering new learning opportunities, and forging strategic partnerships, we will empower a new generation of AI leaders shaping global industries and advancing the future of the knowledge economy.”

Maroulas told Tennessee Firefly that one of the main goals of the AI Initiative is to familiarize students with AI technologies and workforce applications, which will prepare them for an increasingly tech-integrated job market. He said the program also hopes to encourage collaboration between UT researchers and tech industry leaders throughout the state for AI research and development efforts.

“People in the future [workforce] will be replaced by people who know how to interact with AI,” he said. “If you are embracing it, then there is a future in that. In a nutshell, that's what the AI Tennessee Initiative is all about.”

According to the announcement, Maroulas is known as “a national leader in artificial intelligence,” and serves as a professor of mathematics with appointments in UT’s College of Arts and Sciences, Haslam College of Business, and College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, as well as in the UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute’s Bredesen Center. Using this experience and expertise, he will lead the creation of AITechX, a new initiative within AI Tennessee that seeks to explore how innovative AI technologies and workforce development solutions can work for Tennessee employers.

“The idea is to get industry interested in partnering with the university to create [programs like] internships or faculty engagement, and letting them have some sort of say in curriculum development,” Maroulas told Tennessee Firefly.

University leaders said Maroulas’ appointment will build on previous work that led to the launch of the intercollegiate data science degree, which laid the foundation for UT’s new College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies (CECS).

“I am thrilled to welcome Vasileios to the CECS team,” Ozlem Kilic, founding dean of CECS said in a statement. “In his new role, Vasileios will lead the development of AI-focused curricula across disciplines, creating new concentrations and certificates that ensure UT graduates develop AI competencies essential to their career success.”

Over the years, Maroulas’ research has focused on computational probability, statistics, machine learning, and computational topology and geometry, with the goal of applying new knowledge to advance AI applications in biology, medicine, materials science, and national defense. His research has also garnered funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, Oak Ridge Associated Universities and the Simons Foundation, among other sources.

Maroulas’ contributions to science and engineering have also been recognized with multiple honors, such as the Leverhulme Trust Visiting Fellowship and a prestigious fellowship with the U.S. Army Research Lab.

“We couldn’t be happier with the appointment of Dr. Maroulas in this role,” Mike Odom, president and CEO of the Knoxville Chamber, said in a statement. “Innovations in AI and the development of a world-class workforce with AI competencies, both of which impact many sectors of our economy, are essential to Tennessee’s future competitiveness.”