UC celebrates partnership with Thales
Research + Innovation Week kicks off with Digital Futures’ first industrial partner
UC’s annual Research + Innovation Week, highlighting faculty- and student-led research, is launching with a bang.
April 13 marked the unveiling of a new collaborative workspace in UC’s interdisciplinary research facility Digital Futures for Thales, known as being a global leader in defense and aeronautics that invests in digital and “deep tech” innovations.
The collaboration will bring UC and Thales researchers together to focus on advances in artificial intelligence and air mobility.
President Pinto and Thales North America CEO Alan Pellegrini celebrate the new collaborative workspace, which is part of an ongoing partnership between UC and Thales.
“Advances in trustworthy AI for mission-critical use cases are enabling real solutions to some of the most complex challenges in defense and aerospace,” said Alan Pellegrini, CEO of Thales North America.
“Our collaboration with the University of Cincinnati accelerates progress in tackling these challenges from advanced air mobility and other autonomous platforms to explainable AI tools integrated into other high‑stakes environments,” Pellegrini added. “As AI continues to evolve at remarkable speed, Thales will remain at the forefront of harnessing this technology for safe, resilient and reliable application for mission-critical operations.”
AI innovations
UC first signed a research agreement to work with Thales in March 2023. This collaboration allowed UC researchers to partner with the company to use its state-of-the art transparent AI system that uses fuzzy logic to make critical decisions. Instead of seeing the world in a binary right or wrong, fuzzy logic uses degrees of truth to strengthen transparency and mathematical assurance.
“At a time when organizations worldwide are racing to deploy AI in high-stakes environments, Thales is demonstrating that trust, ethics and transparency are not constraints on AI performance, but rather strengths,” said UC President Neville Pinto. “The decision by the Thales team to co-locate at Digital Futures in the Cincinnati Innovation District creates an ideal alignment.”
Nick Ernest, UC engineering alum and chief architect for Thales Avionics, was part of a panel discussion at the event.
UC alum and Thales Avionics chief architect Nick Ernest (third from right) was part of a panel conversation following opening remarks.
“We are pleased to join Digital Futures through our partnership with the University of Cincinnati and Dr. Kelly Cohen’s lab,” Ernest said. “This collaboration strengthens our engagement with academia and advances our research into safe and ethical AI for mission‑ and safety‑critical applications.”
Ernest has been working in advanced AI systems since he was a doctoral candidate at UC. He created sophisticated AI that is capable of outmaneuvering fighter pilots in simulations. Before joining Thales, Ernest also worked with UC research partners to apply genetic fuzzy logic to help doctors predict treatment effectiveness for bipolar disorder from brain scans.
Now, as part of the partnership between Thales and UC, Ernest and his team will continue to give UC researchers hands-on experience working with the company and its advanced AI models.
Accelerating the pace of discovery
Speakers at the kickoff event included leadership from both UC and Thales, where the real-world impact of the industry partnership was emphasized.
“Thales is a key partner as the university strives to lead cutting-edge research with impact,” said Interim Vice President of Research Frank Gerner. “The University of Cincinnati’s partnership with Thales will provide training opportunities for our students and postdocs, promote collaborations with faculty and accelerate the pace of discovery.”
Your next big idea
Innovation is a daily practice at UC. The 1819 Innovation Hub is UC’s front door for industry, inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs. We foster bold thinking and collaborative breakthroughs that shape industries and improve lives — and we move at the speed of need to make them happen.
Featured image at top of President Pinto and Thales North America CEO Alan Pellegrini. Photos/UC Office of Research/Jared Fleckner
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