AI meets particle physics in UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — High-energy physics experiments produce enough data in one second to keep a team of scientists busy for years. A University of Alabama-led research team will build an artificial intelligence tool to help sift through that flood of data, speeding up the pace of discovery so scientists can focus on the science itself. The project is a joint effort of theorists and experimentalists in particle physics and builds on existing collaborations between The University of Alabama and the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Chicago. The Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission is a national initiative that unites government, industry, academia and philanthropy to accelerate scientific discovery through a platform combining AI, supercomputing, quantum systems and advanced scientific instruments. The UA-led project is one of only 278 selected for Phase 1 funding from more than 5,000 proposals. Dr. Konstantin Matchev, Endowed Shelby Distinguished Professor of physics and astronomy at The University of Alabama, is the project’s lead principal investigator. “This project is about giving scientists more time to do science,” Matchev said. “By automating the routine — but highly complex — software and workflow tasks that support high-energy physics analysis, we can help researchers move more quickly from massive datasets to meaningful discoveries.” Data mining for nature’s deepest secrets Dr. Sergei Gleyzer, a professor of physics and astronomy and chief science officer of the University of Alabama High Performance Computing and Data Center, is one of the UA scientists who work with the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment, one of two general-purpose particle detectors at the CERN Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. The CMS experiment collects about one petabyte of data every second. Managing and analyzing that volume of data normally takes years of effort from several thousand scientists, Gleyzer said. To improve this workflow, UA CMS group has been one of the leaders in the development and application of machine learning algorithms to high-energy physics. In 2025, the team behind the award developed a pilot framework applying large language models to research tasks in particle theory, which will serve as the backbone of the project. Accelerating the speed of science The UA Phase I Genesis project will expand the existing prototype into an intelligent and autonomous tool to automate some of the time-consuming tasks associated with processing the huge streams of data generated by the CMS experiment. Eventually, the methods developed in the project will be scalable to other data-heavy disciplines, potentially boosting national research productivity. UA serves as the lead organization for the joint project with Fermilab. Matchev and Gleyzer will lead the project for UA, and Dr. Stephen Mrenna will serve as project lead at Fermilab. The University of Alabama High-Performance Computing and Data Center will support the Phase I Genesis effort with its high-performance computing and AI resources. Google and NVIDIA will provide additional support and collaboration. “The University of Alabama has one of the largest university-based Compact Muon Solenoid groups in the Southeast, and this award reflects the kind of national and international research leadership our faculty bring to some of science’s most ambitious questions to create new human knowledge that is critical to better lives,” said Dr. Bryan Boudouris, UA’s vice president for research. “We are proud to help advance a mission that connects AI, supercomputing and scientific expertise to accelerate discovery.” The University of Alabama is the future-ready flagship. UA develops leaders and a workforce for a changing world, advances research and innovation that solve real problems and strengthens communities across Alabama and beyond. Part of The University of Alabama System, UA holds a global reputation for excellence and offers more than 200 degree programs. Through more than 30 research centers, the University leads creative inquiry and discovery that fuels economic growth and opportunity.