Artificial Intelligence

Dr. Cherkaoui is an award-winning professor, author, internationally-recognized researcher, and micromechanics and nuclear engineering pioneer. Mohammed was a tenured professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Boeing Endowed Chair and Professor at Mississippi State University. Dr. Cherkaoui received the France Medal from the National Center for Scientific Research, the Lorraine Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, and the Obama Award under the Material Genome Initiative. He co-founded the International University of Rabat in Morocco, and is also co-founder of the International Joint Units (UMI) – a French government joint research institution between Georgia Institute of Technology and the France National Center for Scientific Research. Dr. Cherkaoui is a member of both the Moroccan Academy of Science, as well as the European Commission. In addition, Dr. Cherkaoui is Associate Editor of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology. He has authored over 200 publications, including the first-ever micromechanics textbook. Dr. Cherkaoui earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Lorraine in France.

The Bachelor of Science degree program in Artificial Intelligence is one of the first degrees of its kind in the country. Students of this program will build the foundational knowledge necessary to design computational systems that exhibit “human-like intelligence” such as the ability to interpret sensory input, learn from experience, understand human language, and support intelligent decision-making. Graduates will have the skill-set necessary to meet industry demand for workers able to contribute to research and development in Artificial Intelligence across all industry sectors. The program begins with introductory courses in programming, computer science, mathematics, and statistics that provide a firm technical foundation. The curriculum then introduces core artificial intelligence concepts and techniques including state-space search, game-playing, machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning with applications to various domains (e.g. computer vision, natural language processing and understanding).

The program is supported by a cutting-edge learning and design center which will provide students and faculty with state-of-the art technologies, tools, and systems to support learning and research. This center will provide students with the opportunity to develop research projects and prototypes with the same big data and artificial intelligence platforms used in cutting-edge industry applications.

To prepare the workforce of the future, the 30- credit M.S. in Artificial Intelligence (AI) aims to educate and train skilled leaders to create AI applications and AI systems that are designed to solve complex real-world challenges and problems across many industry domains. The purpose of the program is to achieve this latter goal while addressing the emerging needs of the market. Additionally, the new program, with its faculty and students, aims to accelerate multidisciplinary research and discovery in LIU emerging signature areas: health, pharmaceutics, pharmacologicalengineering, bioinformatics, and business among others. The program will create new opportunities for research and economic development. It is a pathway for masters students to pursue exciting career opportunities in the most innovative companies in the NY region and the globe across all industry sectors and/or Ph.D. research in Computer Science and related fields.

The M.S. in AI program offers a holistic view and a multidisciplinary in-depth study of AI theory and practice. New courses include: Programming in Python, Data Structures and Algorithms, Statistical Learning, Modern Artificial Intelligence (Present and Future), Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition, Data Mining and Exploration, Deep Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Bioinformatics, Automatic Speech Recognition, Image and Vision Computing, and Computational Neuroscience and Cognition and Intelligent Autonomous Robots. In addition, the program includes two Special Topics courses for timely introduction of cutting edge advanced topics in Artificial Intelligence, including research topics. The program offers two options: a course only option and a thesis option for six credits over two semesters. The one-year thesis sequence should demonstrate the students’ learning in the program and contributions ranging from practical developments of AI components or systems to theoretical contributions, culminating in a thesis document.