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GMU Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA)

Summary

Vision

The Institute of Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) is George Mason University’s commitment to inclusively shaping the future of our digital society, promoting well-being, security, and prosperity.

IDIA is a sector leader that provides transdisciplinary research, innovation, and next-generation workforce development strategy across the university for scaled, sustainable growth in digital innovation, leverages synergies, strengthening the innovation ecosystem and growing capacities for transdisciplinary research, scholarship, and innovation, supports placemaking, instigating and building research and innovation communities around places and activating and supporting a culture of transdisciplinary research and shared research infrastructure, and amplifies the visibility and awareness of George Mason University as a globally recognized leader for its world-class research, innovation, and economic impact activities, as well as its next-generation students and scholars.

OnAir Post: GMU Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA)

News

Latest

George Mason sets in motion a plan to harness AI for responsible adoption and societal impact
GMU (Mason News) – March 3, 2025

At last week’s Board of Visitors meeting, George Mason University’s Vice President and Chief AI Officer Amarda Shehu rolled out a new model for universities to advance a responsible approach to harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) and drive societal impact. George Mason’s model, called AI2Nexus, is building a nexus of collaboration and resources on campus, throughout the region with our vast partnerships, and across the state.

AI2Nexus is based on four key principles: “Integrating AI” to transform education, research, and operations; “Inspiring with AI” to advance higher education and learning for the future workforce; “Innovating with AI” to lead in responsible AI-enabled discovery and advancements across disciplines; and “Impacting with AI” to drive partnerships and community engagement for societal adoption and change.

Shehu said George Mason can harness its own ecosystem of AI teaching, cutting-edge research, partnerships, and incubators for entrepreneurs to establish a virtuous cycle between foundational and user-inspired AI research within ethical frameworks.

As part of this effort, the university’s AI Task Force, established by President Gregory Washington last year, has developed new guidelines to help the university navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technologies, which are available at gmu.edu/ai-guidelines.

Further, Information Technology Services (ITS) will roll out the NebulaONE academic platform equipping every student, staff, and faculty member with access to hundreds of cutting-edge Generative AI models to support access, performance, and data protection at scale.

“We are anticipating that AI integration will allow us to begin to evaluate and automate some routine processes reducing administrative burdens and freeing up resources for mission-critical activities,” added Charmaine Madison, George Mason’s vice president of information services and CIO.

George Mason is already equipping students with AI skills as a leader in developing AI-ready talent ready to compete and new ideas for critical sectors like cybersecurity, public health, and government. In the classroom, the university is developing courses and curriculums to better prepare our students for a rapidly changing world.

In spring 2025, the university launched a cross-disciplinary graduate course, AI: Ethics, Policy, and Society, and in fall 2025, the university is debuting a new undergraduate course open to all students, AI4All: Understanding and Building Artificial Intelligence. A master’s in computer science and machine learning, an Ethics and AI minor for undergraduates of all majors, and a Responsible AI Graduate Certificate are more examples of Mason’s mission to innovate AI education. New academies are also in development, and the goal is to build an infrastructure of more than 100 active core AI and AI-related courses across George Mason’s colleges and programs.

The university will continue to host workshops, conferences, and public forums to shape the discourse on AI ethics and governance while forging deep and meaningful partnerships with industry, government, and community organizations to offer academies to teach and codevelop technologies to meet our global society needs. State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) will partner with the university to host an invite-only George Mason-SCHEV AI in Education Summit on May 20-21 on the Fairfax Campus.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has appointed Jamil N. Jaffer, the founder and executive director of the National Security Institute (NSI) at George Mason’s Antonin Scalia Law School, to the Commonwealth’s new AI Task Force, which will work with legislators to regulate rapidly advancing AI technology.

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About

Overview

Mission
At IDIA we turn problems of social anxiety to digital innovation with social resonance. We harness the power of different perspectives and ways of thinking. We solve complex problems that demand creativity, transdisciplinarity, and a sustained passion for digital innovation for good. From AI Innovation and Machine Learning, to Responsible AI, Autonomous and Collaborative Robotics, Cyberphysical systems and Cybersecurity, Advanced Transportation Systems, Integrated intelligence, Smart Cities, Quantum Computing, and more, we provide leadership in the technologies of the future. We elevate diversity, equity, and inclusion. We build an innovation community and answer the unique challenges of our time for the betterment of our society, our nation, and humankind.

The institute supports transdisciplinary work across three themes:

Technologies
Conceptualizing and designing novel algorithms, techniques, and technologies

Systems
Developing and deploying computing systems to advance fields as diverse as finance, education, built infrastructure, science, economics, agriculture, health, transportation, entertainment, national security, and social justice

Digital Society
Engaging in critical reflection that examines the implications of digital innovation to ensure that innovators are sensitive to designing and innovating responsibly, and that key stakeholders – including users, innovators, policy-makers and the public at large – are informed about technology’s social, ethical, political, and economic impacts

Nexus
IDIA is a nexus point for collaborative efforts, connecting organizations, people, problems, ideas, and technical approaches with a rich program of transdisciplinary and translational research, scholarship, and workforce development activities and mechanisms for maximum impact that is more than the sum of its parts. The institute was launched in 2022. Learn more about its history here.

IDIA Leadership

Amarda Shehu, PhD
Associate Vice President of Research
Institute for Digital InnovAtion
 
Kamaljeet Sanghera, PhD
Executive Director
Institute for Digital InnovAtion

Ziniya Zahedi, PhD
Assistant Director for Operations
Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Gilbert R Harris
Data Analyst
Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)
Internal Advisory Board

Karen A Bell
Grant Writer & Proposal Specialist
School of Business

Patrick Gillivet
Associate Dean of Research
College of Science

Deborah Goodings
Professor & Associate Dean
College of Engineering and Computing

Anthony Eamonn Kelly
Associate Dean for Research
CEHD Office of Research Development

Naoru Koizumi
Associate Dean of Research
Schar School of Policy and Government

Alison Landberg
Professor & Director
Center for Humanities Research

Holly Park
Interim Assistant Dean for Research
College of Health and Human Services

Arthur Pyster
Associate Dean for Research
College of Engineering and Computing

Michele Schwietz
Associate Dean for Research
College of Humanities and Social Science

Programs

IDIA P3 Faculty Fellowship

Source: IDIA website

IDIA P3 Faculty Fellowship

Source: IDIA website

Dear Colleagues,

With this Dear Colleagues Letter (DCL), the Institute of Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) solicits applications for IDIA Public-Private-Partnership (P3) Faculty Fellows.

Program Description

The newly launched IDIA P3 Faculty Fellows Program seeks to stimulate research collaborations and partnerships between George Mason University and industry partners on impactful societal problems and cutting-edge digital solutions of consequence to the local, regional, or national economy. The program directly supports the growth of George Mason University’s digital innovation ecosystem and catalyzes a tightly integrated academe-industry community of innovation. 

Through this DCL, IDIA charges Mason faculty and researchers with coming together with industry partners into deeply collaborative teams to further scientific and engineering foundations that enable future breakthrough technologies that are directly inspired by and address critical industry needs, as well as broadly benefit our society and constitute digital innovation for good. Competitive applications align with IDIA’s mission of catalyzing cutting-edge computing research that shapes the future of our digital society and promotes equality, well-being, security, and prosperity. More information about IDIA can be found at idia.gmu.edu. 

Program Structure

IDIA P3 Faculty Fellows are expected to: 

  • Identify an industry partner that commits to a deeply collaborative relationship to work jointly on a problem of critical importance to industry and society at large 
  • Formulate a novel research approach that has high intellectual merit and promises to lead to a breakthrough technology with high broader impact 
  • Provide evidence of the commitment of the industry partner on joint research and innovation 

Industry partners can have a local, regional, national, or international footprint. Evidence of their commitment can include one or more of the following: 

  • A letter of shared interests and mission by a company representative 
  • Access to and utilization of company data, hard, and/or software infrastructure 
  • In-kind commitment by allocating company staff to work jointly with Mason faculty 
  • Opportunities for Mason undergraduate or graduate students potentially included in the project to further their experience through internships and other industry-housed activities and events 

Awards

Awards are expected to be in the range of $50,000 to $75,000 for a duration of at most two years. Awards are restricted to Mason faculty and subject to George Mason University guidelines. Up to five awards are expected, based on the quality of submissions and the availability of funds. 

Eligibility Information

Only current employees of George Mason University can apply. This program is limited to tenure-track, tenured, or research-track faculty. An individual may participate in only one proposal. Being a consultant for a company disqualifies that individual from participating in this program through a partnership with that company. 

Program Requirements

An end-of-year ‘Come Meet our Fellows’ meeting that celebrates the achievements of IDIA fellows is anticipated, and awardees should make plans for a meaningful and active participation in this event. Fellows are additionally expected to provide an annual report of their progress and accomplishments.  

IDIA P3 Faculty Fellows are expected to become an integral part of the IDIA community. As such, they will have the opportunity to: take part in community-building events with other IDIA faculty and predoctoral fellows; collaborate with other fellows to organize and support IDIA-sponsored events, such as seminars, panels, workshops, and tutorials; connect with IDIA’s rich network of academic, government, think tank, and industry partners around digital innovation; and engage with Mason Innovation Exchange and Mason Enterprise. 

IDIA P3 Faculty Fellows will additionally have the opportunity to benefit from in-support activities, such as Mason Enterprise ICAPS, Accelerate, and other programs, through which they may further integrate themselves in Mason’s innovation ecosystem and bring their ideas and innovation from the lab to the market.   

A successful IDIA P3 Faculty Fellows experience naturally positions fellows for industry-partnered external funding opportunities, which include but are not limited to the NSF GOALI program, the NSF Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program, the NSF I-Corps program, the NSF Activate Program, and larger-scale NSF programs, such as IUCRC, ERC, STC, the Virginia Catalyst Award program, the NIH Bioengineering Partnerships with Industry, the NCI Academic-Industrial Partnerships for Translation of Technologies for Diagnosis and Treatment, the DTRA Transitions Program, the SBIR/STTR program, the DARPA Embedded Entrepreneurship Initiative, the DARPA Information Innovation program, and more. 

Application Details

Applications should adhere to the template provided. Applications that do not follow the provided template will be returned without review. 

The application template can be found at: IDIA-P3-Faculty_ApplicationTemplate.

Applications should be compiled into a single pdf, named FirstName-LastName-IDIA-PD.pdf, where FirstName and LastName refer to the first and last names of the applicant, and submitted via email to idia2@gmu.edu.  The email subject should be: IDIA P3 Faculty Fellowship Application: First-Name  Last-Name. 

Applications will be reviewed by a team of interdisciplinary senior researchers and faculty, and awards will be made on a competitive basis.  

Timeline and Other Information

Applications should be submitted by the following deadline:  March 27, 2023, 11:59PM EST 

Two office hours are planned to address questions from interested participants. These will be held remotely, via zoom, on December 09, 2022 (10-11AM) and February 10, 2023 (10-11AM). RSVP for the sessions here.

Any questions before then can be directed to idia2@gmu.edu 

Sincerely,  

Team IDIA 

     Amarda Shehu, Associate Vice President of Research, IDIA 

     Kammy Sanghera, Executive Director, IDIA 

IDIA Predoctoral Fellowships

Source: IDIA website

Dear Patriots Letter: IDIA Predoctoral Fellowships

The Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) invites full-time George Mason University Ph.D. and M.S. students to apply for the competitive IDIA Predoctoral Fellowship Program. An IDIA predoctoral fellowship includes GRA AY stipend, tuition, and healthcare for up to three years.

Student applicants are encouraged to reach out to and form an interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors across the Mason ecosystem and propose an ambitious, interdisciplinary, convergent research agenda that aligns with IDIA’s mission of catalyzing cutting-edge computing research that shapes the future of our digital society and promotes equality, well-being, security, and prosperity. More information about IDIA can be found at idia.gmu.edu.

The application template can be found at: Fellowship Application

Applications that do not follow the above template will be returned without review.

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by a team of interdisciplinary senior researchers and faculty, and awards will be made on a competitive basis. IDIA anticipates awarding up to five IDIA predoctoral fellowships based on the quality of the applications and availability of funds.

Program Structure

IDIA predoctoral fellows are expected to become an integral part of the IDIA community. As part of IDIA’s Predoctoral Fellow Program, fellows will:

  • engage in community-building events with other IDIA fellows and faculty
  • collaborate with other fellows to organize and support IDIA-sponsored events, such as seminars, panels, workshops, and tutorials
  • engage with IDIA’s network of academic, government, think tank, and industry partners around digital innovation

An end-of-year ‘Come Meet our Fellows’ meeting that celebrates the achievements of our IDIA predoctoral fellows is anticipated, and awardees should make plans for a meaningful and active participation in this event.

Fellows will provide annual reports of their progress and accomplishments. Funding is expected to be renewed on an annual basis, contingent upon a favorable internal review of the annual report and availability of funds and will not exceed three years.

Submission Process

Applications should be compiled into a single pdf, named FirstName-LastName-IDIA-PD.pdf, where FirstName and LastName refer to the first and last names of the student applicant, and submitted via email to idia2@gmu.edu.

The email subject should be: IDIA Predoctoral Fellowship Application: First-Name Last-Name

The document format should be: font style – Arial; font size – 10; page margins – 1 inch

Important Dates

Applications should be submitted by the following deadline:

May 08, 2023, 11:59 PM EDT 

Office hours are planned to field questions by interested student applicants and potential faculty mentors. They will be held remotely, via zoom, on:

April 18, 2023, 10:00-11:00 AM, EDT

RSVP here (meeting has ended)

History and Background:

The IDIA Predoctoral Fellowship Program was launched in June 2022.  View archive here.

Learn more about the cohort of IDIA Predoctoral Fellows here.

Research Incubation

IDIA Predoctoral Fellowships

Source: IDIA website

Dear Patriots Letter: IDIA Predoctoral Fellowships

The Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) invites full-time George Mason University Ph.D. and M.S. students to apply for the competitive IDIA Predoctoral Fellowship Program. An IDIA predoctoral fellowship includes GRA AY stipend, tuition, and healthcare for up to three years.

Student applicants are encouraged to reach out to and form an interdisciplinary team of faculty mentors across the Mason ecosystem and propose an ambitious, interdisciplinary, convergent research agenda that aligns with IDIA’s mission of catalyzing cutting-edge computing research that shapes the future of our digital society and promotes equality, well-being, security, and prosperity. More information about IDIA can be found at idia.gmu.edu.

The application template can be found at: Fellowship Application

Applications that do not follow the above template will be returned without review.

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by a team of interdisciplinary senior researchers and faculty, and awards will be made on a competitive basis. IDIA anticipates awarding up to five IDIA predoctoral fellowships based on the quality of the applications and availability of funds.

Program Structure

IDIA predoctoral fellows are expected to become an integral part of the IDIA community. As part of IDIA’s Predoctoral Fellow Program, fellows will:

  • engage in community-building events with other IDIA fellows and faculty
  • collaborate with other fellows to organize and support IDIA-sponsored events, such as seminars, panels, workshops, and tutorials
  • engage with IDIA’s network of academic, government, think tank, and industry partners around digital innovation

An end-of-year ‘Come Meet our Fellows’ meeting that celebrates the achievements of our IDIA predoctoral fellows is anticipated, and awardees should make plans for a meaningful and active participation in this event.

Fellows will provide annual reports of their progress and accomplishments. Funding is expected to be renewed on an annual basis, contingent upon a favorable internal review of the annual report and availability of funds and will not exceed three years.

Submission Process

Applications should be compiled into a single pdf, named FirstName-LastName-IDIA-PD.pdf, where FirstName and LastName refer to the first and last names of the student applicant, and submitted via email to idia2@gmu.edu.

The email subject should be: IDIA Predoctoral Fellowship Application: First-Name Last-Name

The document format should be: font style – Arial; font size – 10; page margins – 1 inch

Important Dates

Applications should be submitted by the following deadline:

May 08, 2023, 11:59 PM EDT 

Office hours are planned to field questions by interested student applicants and potential faculty mentors. They will be held remotely, via zoom, on:

April 18, 2023, 10:00-11:00 AM, EDT

RSVP here (meeting has ended)

History and Background:

The IDIA Predoctoral Fellowship Program was launched in June 2022.  View archive here.

Learn more about the cohort of IDIA Predoctoral Fellows here.

Research Incubation

Latest seed funding call for proposal in 2021

Research Centers

University Centers

Departments

Labs

Digital Society

Partner With IDIA

The outcomes generated by the IDIA community are often powered by partnerships with corporate and public sector partners. IDIA staff match the needs of our partners with hundreds of talented faculty and thousands of students, creating opportunities for strategic R&D engagements, start-up creation and growth, student internships and apprenticeships, faculty and student challenge competitions, P-12 student and teacher engagement, sponsored capstone projects, and many others.

Mason has many partnerships focused on digital innovation. Three featured partnership programs include:

Current Partnership Programs

Center for Spatiotemporal Thinking, Computing, and Applications (STC)
The Center for Spatiotemporal Thinking, Computing, and Applications is dedicated to collaborating with agencies and industry to conduct leading spatiotemporal innovations to improve human intelligence, develop new software tools, and build innovative solutions to address 21st-century challenges, such as natural hazards, environmental pollution, and emergency responses.

Commonwealth Cyber Initiative NoVA Node
The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI), funded by the Virginia General Assembly, created a Commonwealth-wide ecosystem of innovation in cybersecurity and cyber-physical systems (CPS) security. CCI will ensure Virginia is recognized as a global leader in secure CPS and in the digital economy more broadly for decades to come by supporting world-class research at the intersection of data, autonomy, and security; promoting technology commercialization and entrepreneurship; and preparing future generations of innovators and research leaders. George Mason University leads the CCI Northern Virginia Node (NoVa Node) region. Partners in the CCI NoVa Node include institutions of higher education, corporations, small businesses, non-profit organizations, P-12 schools, economic development organizations, and accelerators from 19 counties and are committed to working together to achieve the goals of the CCI.

Mason Innovation Exchange
With the goal of encouraging and celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation across the whole of the university, George Mason University has begun to build out a network of on-campus entrepreneurship-focused collaboration and maker spaces. This network is called the Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX). Programs encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration across all of Mason’s schools and degree programs (e.g. engineering, science, business, liberal arts). It is the place at Mason where groups can come together to develop ideas, research problems, craft solutions, and start companies.

IP and Licensing Opportunities

Mason brings its best research and technologies to the marketplace to change the world for the better. The Office of Technology Transfer evaluates discoveries and conducts market research. We seek partners who share Mason’s goal of working for public good.

Links to licensing opportunities:

BioHealth, Engineering, IT & Cybersecurity, Sustainability, Digital Technology, Other

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