Events

The CSAIL Forum event series is hosted by Professor Daniela Rus, CSAIL Director. This virtual series was created to inspire conversation, share insights, and shape the future of computer science and artificial intelligence. Registration is required. 
See past forum recordings and learn more here

Speaker: Mohammad Alizadeh, NEC Professor of Software Science and Engineering
Date/time: Tuesday 12:00-1:00 EST, December 9, 2025 
Virtual via Zoom: Registration required
Title: Glia: A Human-Inspired AI for Automated Systems Design and Optimization

Abstract: 
Can an AI autonomously design mechanisms for computer systems on par with the creativity and reasoning of human experts? In this talk, I'll introduce Glia, an AI architecture for automated systems design that uses large language models (LLMs) in a human-inspired, multi-agent workflow. Each agent specializes in reasoning, experimentation, and analysis, collaborating through an evaluation framework that grounds abstract reasoning in empirical feedback. Unlike prior ML-for-systems methods that optimize black-box policies, Glia generates interpretable designs and exposes its reasoning process. When applied to a distributed GPU cluster for LLM inference, it produces new algorithms for request routing, scheduling, and auto-scaling that perform at human-expert levels in significantly less time, while yielding novel insights into workload behavior. Our results suggest that by combining reasoning LLMs with structured experimentation, an AI can produce creative and understandable designs for complex systems problems.

Bio:
Mohammad Alizadeh is the NEC Professor of Software Science and Engineering at MIT EECS and a principal investigator in CSAIL. His current research focuses on leveraging AI for automated system design and optimization, intelligent decision-making, and system simulation. Mohammad's past research on datacenter networks led to protocols now implemented in commercial operating systems and switching products, and deployed by large datacenter operators. Mohammad's work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award, Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship, VMware Systems Research Award, SIGCOMM Rising Star Award, SIGCOMM Test of Time Award, and multiple best paper awards. He earned his MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and his BS from Sharif University of Technology. Before joining MIT EECS in 2015, he worked at Insieme Networks and Cisco Systems.

Are you a CSAIL entrepreneur? Are you curious about the resources that CSAIL Alliances, as well as the rest of the MIT Ecosystem can offer you?

Register for Time: https://calendly.com/ckalfas/office-hours

Sign up for Office Hours to ask these questions and more! Your questions may include: 

• Where can I get funding?
• Can I get connections to industry partners?
• How can I get pitch help?
• How can CSAIL Alliances help me?
• And more!

Christiana Kalfas, Senior Client Relations Coordinator (CSAIL Alliances), brings a rare blend of expertise to the entrepreneurial journey, anchored by an MS in Computer Information Systems and a BA in Neuropsychology. This background shapes her focus at the intersection of AI, machine learning, and human potential. With over eight years dedicated to accelerating ventures within the MIT ecosystem (including roles at CSAIL Alliances and MIT VMS), she has a proven track record of helping deep-tech ideas transition from the lab to the market. A recipient of multiple MIT Spot Awards, she specializes in building impactful programs and actively leveraging her role within CSAIL Alliances to directly facilitate connections between deep-tech ventures and senior industry leaders, helping translate complex research into scalable business plans. As an active Member of the Greek Scientists Society, she also offers an expanded perspective on global community and network building. Leverage her office hours to gain strategic guidance, access key institutional resources, and tap into the knowledge required to launch a successful MIT-affiliated venture. 

This month, Christiana will be joined by Keenan Blatt from MIT's Mission Innovation X. 

Keenan Blatt is the Senior Program Manager at MIT’s Mission Innovation X (MIX), where he leads dual-use innovation programs spanning education, research, and venture incubation. He runs the Dual Use Ventures incubator funded through the SBIR/STTR program, placing MIT undergraduates and graduate researchers on fundamental research with startups and government partners, and helps design and teach MIX’s dual-use curricula, including the SOCOM Engineering Innovation class and NATO DIANA bootcamp classes. Keenan’s background includes defense research program management at the University of Texas at Austin and service as an officer in the U.S. Army (Guard/Reserves) in intelligence/innovation community.

Mission Innovation X (MIx) serves as a strategic bridge between mission-driven organizations ("problem owners") and dual-use ventures ("capability providers"). We cultivate a robust innovation ecosystem at MIT by accelerating high-impact startups and advancing the science and practice of dual-use technology for societal benefit. Through a comprehensive portfolio of grants, strategic partnerships, fellowships, and experiential learning, MIx empowers the academic community to solve critical global challenges through direct collaboration and research translation.

Info on Startup Programs offered are here.

Enter the Snapdragon Multiverse at MIT! This event is organized by CSAIL Alliances member Qualcomm, and hosted in the Stata Center during IAP 2026. Registration is open to anyone in the MIT community, including MIT Alumni.
Please review the complete event package and rules from Qualcomm for all necessary information before registering.

About
Join us January 24–25, 2026, for an immersive hackathon where innovation meets connectivity. Teams of 3–5 will dive into the future of multi-device communication, building experiences that redefine how devices work together.
Every team will receive a Copilot+ PC powered by Snapdragon® X Series processors as the central control hub and a Samsung Galaxy S25 featuring Snapdragon 8 Elite. Want to go further? Bring your own Snapdragon-powered devices or microcontrollers to craft seamless, intelligent cross-platform solutions.
From syncing sensors to orchestrating edge workflows to designing multi-screen interactions, this is your chance to prototype the next generation of connected computing within the Snapdragon ecosystem.
Form your team, pick a track, and start creating. Each challenge is designed to showcase Snapdragon’s power across PCs, phones, and microcontrollers—your playground for limitless innovation.
Expect hands-on support, networking, marketing, and amplification opportunities as well as prizes for the winning teams. Don’t worry – there will be swag for everyone! Note that the winners will be selected overall, not per track.
Let’s come together and re-define what multi-device collaboration looks like – powered by Snapdragon.

Registration Information

• One representative of the team should fill out the initial registration with full team details (3-5 people).
• Registration is open until January 9th – secure your spot today!
• Each team member must agree to the rules and regulations.
• Only one project proposal submission per person is allowed.
   

Tracks
Track 1: Real-time CV Assistant

• Platforms: Compute, Mobile device
• AI Branch: Computer Vision, Edge AI
• Objective: Develop an application performing real-time computer vision analysis (object tracking, scene understanding, anomaly detection, or gesture recognition) optimized for on-device inference, optionally enhanced by cloud augmentation.

Track 1 Example: License plate detection app to track cars coming in and going out of a parking lot.
 

Track 2: Conversational AI Companion

• Platforms: Compute, Android, Cloud, or Wearable
• AI Branch: Natural Language Processing, Generative AI
• Objective: Build an interactive conversational AI application capable of voice or text-based interaction, delivering real-time contextually aware responses for tasks like wellness coaching, tutoring, coding assistance, or creative storytelling

Track 2 Example: AI dungeon master that can be used to create and narrate dungeons and dragons adventures.
 

Track 3: RL Agent Arena

• Platforms: Compute, Cloud, Microcontroller
• AI Branch: Reinforcement Learning, Simulation
• Objective: Build an interactive environment representing a real-world scenario and train an agent or team of agents to solve the scenario. Bots should have access to the environment state at a minimum, but models could use AI tools or data augmentation techniques to improve their performance above the baseline environmental inputs.

Track 3 Example: Build a bot to dynamically handle traffic lights at an intersection in a simulated environment.
Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Timeline

• Registration / Submission period: December 10 – January 9 (11:59pm)
• Proposal review period: January 10 – January 13
• Shortlisting announcement: January 14
• Pre-hackathon workshop / FAQ session: January 16 or 19
• Application submission period: January 24 (1:00pm) – January 25 (1:00pm)
• Application judging period: January 25 (1:01pm – 5:00pm)
• Winner announcement: January 25 (on or around 5:00pm)

This MIT IAP credited course is offered by CSAIL Alliances member Sony Interactive Entertainment (the team behind PlayStation). Curious about IAP? Learn more.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), creators of the PlayStation platform, and the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) joined forces January 2025 to launch a new IAP course exploring the nexus of video games and artificial intelligence. This highly popular course brought together students, researchers, and industry practitioners to examine how AI is transforming the design, play, and social impact of games.

This year, an expanded version of the course will be available for credit and will be led by Professor Fredo Durand. Like last year, the course will combine a series of lectures and hackathon-style projects, the latter chosen from a list of examples or otherwise devised, to introduce students to game creation, current game-related research and an exploration of the technology, the art and the fun of video games. The program is designed to be accessible to a broad MIT audience, requiring no specialized background in computer science or game development. We encourage students with an interest in art, psychology, writing, social impact and design of games to participate.

Format: 12 Lectures (60–75 minutes each) with Q&A, culminating in student team projects presented on January 30.

See the full details and register: https://calendar.mit.edu/event/the-nexus-of-games-and-ai-nexus-ii-mit-iap-2026