Who We Are

The AI Institute for Community-Engaged Research (AI-ICER) was established in 2024 with funding from the UT System Regents’ Research Excellence Program. The Institute operates as a think tank that brings together interdisciplinary researchers, public and private sector groups, and industry partners to identify common interests and seek solutions to regional challenges. As an interdisciplinary institute, AI-ICER connects researchers, drives collaborative efforts, offers AI expertise, supports centers and labs in which AI is a critical component, strengthens research through AI resources, and provides professional development and training in AI workflows, software, and high-performance computing.



Mission

AI-ICER’s mission is to catalyze transformative scientific and educational research that addresses both regional and national challenges through the lens of contextualized AI data models and algorithms. The Institute is deeply committed to advancing research in trustworthy and secure AI, while also ensuring that our region’s students and citizens are educated about the effective, responsible, and safe use of this powerful technology.
AI-ICER supports three research thrust areas that build on UTEP’s established research portfolio and positively impact the communities we serve.