{"id":50331,"date":"2025-08-25T12:13:34","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/?post_type=news&p=50331"},"modified":"2025-08-25T12:13:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:13:34","slug":"where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, and AI Converge: New faculty Q&A with Kamal Choudhary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kamal Choudhary<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>is at the forefront of efforts to expand the intersection of electrical and computer engineering and materials science by fusing artificial intelligence (AI) with the physical sciences. As an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, his work bridges quantum mechanics, classical simulations, and machine learning to accelerate the discovery of next-generation materials.<\/p>\n

In this Q&A, Choudhary shares what excites him most about the challenges ahead, how his lab is pushing the limits of AI for materials design, and his vision for empowering the next generation of engineers and scientists.<\/p>\n

What are the most important or exciting challenges in electrical and computer engineering today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most exciting frontiers in electrical and computer engineering is the fusion of\u00a0<\/span>AI with physical sciences<\/span>, especially in areas like atomistic materials design and quantum technologies. Building\u00a0physics-grounded, interpretable AI systems<\/span>\u00a0that can reason, predict, and generate solutions for complex real-world problems is both a grand challenge and an incredible opportunity. These intersections offer a path to breakthroughs in\u00a0energy storage, quantum computing, semiconductors, and biomedical technologies<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Which of these are you currently tackling, and what drew you to them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

At\u00a0<\/span>AtomGPTLab<\/span><\/a>, I focus on\u00a0atomistic materials design<\/span>\u00a0using a blend of\u00a0quantum mechanics, classical simulations, and machine learning<\/span>. My group develops AI infrastructure to accelerate the discovery of materials for\u00a0electronics, energy, and quantum applications<\/span>. What drew me to this challenge is the belief that AI can fundamentally transform the way we explore materials space, from decades-long trial-and-error processes to intelligent,\u00a0inverse design workflows<\/span>\u00a0that are fast, scalable, and accessible.<\/p>\n

Is your research focused more on foundational science, practical applications, or both?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My work is grounded in both. On the foundational side, I develop\u00a0graph neural networks, large language models, and quantum algorithms<\/span>\u00a0that incorporate the laws of physics. On the applied side, we integrate these models into platforms such as\u00a0JARVIS<\/span><\/a>, AtomGPT, and the\u00a0<\/a>ChatGPT Material Explorer<\/a>\u00a0used by thousands of researchers globally to design materials for real-world devices.<\/p>\n

\u00a0What\u2019s been your most interesting or surprising finding so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A particularly exciting result has been the ability of\u00a0generative AI models trained on chemical formulas\/spectra\/images alone<\/span>\u00a0to propose atomic structures that are realistic and often match known phases. This highlights the potential of\u00a0AI-driven inverse design<\/span>, where users can specify target properties and receive synthesizable materials candidates,\u00a0significantly accelerating the path from idea to experiment.<\/p>\n

What are your goals here at Johns Hopkins?<\/strong><\/p>\n

While ChatGPT and similar tools have revolutionized the field of AI, their applicability is limited for physical<\/span>\u2011science applications. Materials science, however, lacks a dedicated, accessible GPT<\/span>\u2011based assistant tailored to its unique challenges. One project I<\/span>\u2019<\/span>m developing is\u00a0<\/span>atomgpt.org<\/span><\/a>, an open<\/span>\u2011access generative<\/span>\u2011AI framework for discovering and designing functional materials using classical, quantum, machine learning and experimental techniques. This tool is designed to help scientists apply AI while keeping important physics principles in mind.<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to build a strong network of researchers who combine AI, physics, and engineering to solve major challenges in energy, computing, and sustainability. I\u2019m also looking forward to bringing these tools into classrooms and open<\/span>\u2011science projects so that students and scientists from all backgrounds can access them worldwide. I<\/span>\u2019<\/span>m excited to contribute to the innovative culture of the ECE department at Hopkins!<\/span><\/p>\n

This article was first posted on the website of the Johns Hopkins Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-50331","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-department-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhere Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, and AI Converge: New faculty Q&A with Kamal Choudhary - Department of Materials Science & Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Where Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, and AI Converge: New faculty Q&A with Kamal Choudhary - Department of Materials Science & Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kamal Choudhary\u00a0is at the forefront of efforts to expand the intersection of electrical and computer engineering and materials science by fusing artificial intelligence (AI) with the physical sciences. As an…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Department of Materials Science & Engineering\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Where Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, and AI Converge: New faculty Q&A with Kamal Choudhary - Department of Materials Science & Engineering","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Where Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, and AI Converge: New faculty Q&A with Kamal Choudhary - Department of Materials Science & Engineering","og_description":"Kamal Choudhary\u00a0is at the forefront of efforts to expand the intersection of electrical and computer engineering and materials science by fusing artificial intelligence (AI) with the physical sciences. As an…","og_url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/","og_site_name":"Department of Materials Science & Engineering","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/","url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/","name":"Where Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, and AI Converge: New faculty Q&A with Kamal Choudhary - Department of Materials Science & Engineering","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-08-25T16:13:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/where-electrical-engineering-materials-science-and-ai-converge-new-faculty-qa-with-kamal-choudhary\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Where Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, and AI Converge: New faculty Q&A with Kamal Choudhary"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/#website","url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/","name":"Department of Materials Science & Engineering","description":"Department of Materials Science & Engineering","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Department of Materials Science & Engineering","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/50331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}