Research

We develop mathematical and AI methods to quantify structure and predict dynamics across scales. We ask how they jointly shape function, and how this understanding can guide design. Drawing on network science and physics, we study both scientific systems and AI models themselves.

Includes the PI's earlier work with collaborators at USC and other institutions.

Three-dimensional research pyramid. Methods and foundations: Network science, multiscale modeling, and Operator learning. Scientific applications: materials and biological systems, and physical systems. Objective: scientific discovery and understanding. Structure and Dynamics are at the base; Function is at the apex.

Multiscale dynamics

  • neural operators
  • physics-informed AI
  • multiwavelets

How can we predict physical fields and their evolution across scales?

We develop neural operators that retain fine- and coarse-scale behavior and interactions between fields. We test how predictions hold up at new resolutions and conditions, and whether they provide the information needed for decisions such as planning a flight through urban wind.

Multiscale structure

  • multifractal analysis
  • network science
  • multiscale representations

How can we quantify the organization of a complex system across scales?

We develop multiscale representations that make network organization and heterogeneity measurable. These quantities let us compare systems and investigate how structural differences relate to behavior and function.

Inverse design & AI design

  • Structure-informed materials
  • Neuro-inspired AI

How can structural understanding inform materials and AI design?

We use structural descriptions to relate material organization to function and guide materials selection. In parallel, we design AI models using neuro-inspired hierarchies and information bottlenecks. These two directions connect what we learn about structure to choices about materials and model architecture.

Predictive accuracy alone does not establish mechanism. Design candidates must satisfy the problem’s constraints and be tested independently of the model that proposed them.

We are extending these foundations toward physics-constrained inverse design, linking forward prediction to candidate generation and independent validation.