AI discovery in Physics and Astronomy: Promise and Challenges

Can AI help answer known questions in physics and astronomy, and can it uncover phenomena scientists did not anticipate? With modern datasets growing faster than traditional modeling capacity, AI is becoming a partner in inference and discovery by extracting physical information, flagging anomalies, and suggesting new directions.

Dr. Cecilia Garraffo is founder and director of the AstroAI Institute at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. Her work applies computational and deep learning techniques to stellar evolution, star-planet interactions, astrophysical simulations, and exoplanet atmosphere characterization.