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NNCI Events

Upcoming Events

FORGE Open House

  • Evanston Campus

Monday, May 4, 2026 
2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
The Workspace @ The Garage, 2311 N Campus Dr #2300, Evanston, IL 60208

Join us for the soft launch of FORGE, NNCI's new AI Makerspace program! Come by to learn more about our upcoming programming, workshops, and offerings. 

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Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is required.

RSVP HERE

FORGE Open House

  • Chicago Campus

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
NM Mansueto Innovation Institute Gathering Hub, 541 N Fairbanks Ct, 22nd Floor, Chicago, IL 60611

Join us for the soft launch of FORGE, NNCI's new AI Makerspace program! Come by to learn more about our upcoming programming, workshops, and offerings. 

View full event details

Light refreshments will be provided. Registration is required.

RSVP HERE

Distinguished Speaker Series

Continuing in Spring 2026

  • The Northwestern Network for Collaborative Intelligence Distinguished Speaker Series convenes leading voices in data science and artificial intelligence to illuminate emerging ideas, foster interdisciplinary dialogue, and examine how these fields intersect with diverse domains of study. Through a combination of keynote talks and expert panels, the series provides attendees with both substantive insights and valuable opportunities for professional connection.
AI and Modern Cyberinfrastructure: Enabling the Next Wave of Interdisciplinary Discovery

AI and Modern Cyberinfrastructure: Enabling the Next Wave of Interdisciplinary Discovery

  • Sean Mooney, Joe Paris, Abel Kho, moderated by Kristi Holmes

Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026 
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Norris University Center, McCormick Auditorium, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston

Webinar available via Zoom

Join us for a Distinguished Panel event featuring Sean Mooney, Director, Center for Information Technology, National Institutes of Health; and moderator Kristi Holmes, Director, Galter Health Sciences Library, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

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Lunch will be provided. Registration is required.

Register

JOIN US ON ZOOM ON APR. 7

AI & The Future of Education

AI & The Future of Education

  • Jeremy Gilbert, Sara Sood, moderated by Karen Smilowitz

Tuesday, Apr. 14, 2026 
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Norris University Center, Wildcat Room (1-163), 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston

Webinar available via Zoom

Join us for an in-person Distinguished Panel event featuring Jeremy Gilbert and Sara Sood, moderated by Karen Smilowitz. Higher education is at an inflection point. As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes how we teach, learn, and conduct research, universities face pressing questions about what this means for students, faculty, and institutions alike.

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Lunch will be provided. Registration is required.

Register

Join Us on Zoom on Apr. 14

Fun with Fashion

Fun with Fashion

  • Larry Davis
Senior Principal Scientist, Amazon

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Norris University Center, McCormick Auditorium, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston

Webinar available via Zoom

Join us for an in-person Distinguished Speaker event featuring Larry Davis, a leading figure in computer vision and artificial intelligence whose influential academic career and recent industry innovations at Amazon have helped shape modern approaches to visual understanding and generative media.

(Previously hosted on March 11th, rescheduled to May 12th)

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Lunch will be provided. Registration is required.

Register

Join Us on Zoom on May 12

Towards Virtual Patient: AI for Accelerating Medical Discovery

Towards Virtual Patient: AI for Accelerating Medical Discovery

  • Hoifung Poon
General Manager, Microsoft Research

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center, Baldwin Auditorium, 303 E. Superior Street, Chicago

Webinar available via Zoom

Join us for a Distinguished Speaker event featuring Hoifung Poon, a leading figure in biomedical AI and precision health whose influential academic career and recent industry innovations at Microsoft Research have helped shape modern approaches to medical data understanding and generative medicine.

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Lunch will be provided. Registration is required.

Register

Join Us on Zoom on May 19

AI & Biosecurity

AI & Biosecurity

  • Doni Bloomfield, Daniel Eisenman, Nicole Kikendall, moderated by Mohammad Hosseini

Thursday, May 28, 2026 
Noon - 1:30 p.m.
Daniel Hale Williams Auditorium, McGaw Pavilion, 240 E. Huron Chicago, IL 60611

Webinar available via Zoom

Join us for a Distinguished Panel event featuring Doni Bloomfield, Associate Professor of Law, Fordham Law School; Daniel Eisenman, Executive Director of Biosafety Services, Advarra; Nicole Kikendall, Principal Biologist, Argonne National Laboratory; and moderator Mohammad Hosseini, Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine (Biostatistics and Informatics), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

View full event details >

Lunch will be provided. Registration is required.

Register

Join Us on Zoom on May 28

Past Events

AI in Sports – From Discovery to Disruption

AI in Sports – From Discovery to Disruption

  • Inderpal Bhandari
Creator of Advanced Scout (NBA), Former Global Chief Data Officer, IBM
AI in the Judiciary

AI in the Judiciary

  • Xavier Rodriguez
U.S. District Court Judge
AI & The Future of News

AI & The Future of News

  • Distinguished Panel: Jeremy Gilbert, Nick Diakopoulos, Emily Withrow, moderated by Larry Birnbaum
Generative AI for Molecules & Materials

Generative AI for Molecules & Materials

  • Distinguished Panel: Julius Lucks, Chris Wolverton, moderated by Chris Schuh
Big-Data Algorithms That Are Not Machine Learning

Big-Data Algorithms That Are Not Machine Learning

  • Jeffrey Ullman
Stanford W. Ascherman Professor of Engineering (Emeritus), Department of Computer Science, Stanford University; and CEO of Gradiance Corp