The University announced the appointment of Gene Robinson as the new executive director and CEO of the Discovery Partners Institute, a research hub based in downtown Chicago recently acquired by The Grainger College of Engineering.
The initiative was launched in 2017 with the stated mission of connecting research, education and business development, utilizing advancements in artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.
Joining University faculty in 1989 as an entomology professor, Robinson has held a number of University positions, including director of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology and director of the University’s Bee Research Facility.
Robinson previously also served as director of the campus Neuroscience Program and interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. In 2023, Robinson began his work as the executive director of the external grants program for the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago.
“I want to acknowledge all the great work that happened when DPI was formed as a brainchild of President Killeen, and resided at the UI system level,” Robinson said. “Now, with this new opportunity with AI, we’re taking it in a new direction but … being very grateful and acknowledging the great work that came before us.”
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In an interview with The Daily Illini, Robinson explained that while AI development mirrors past technological revolutions, there are unique differences about its rise.
“The similarity with AI is that it is a technology that is changing and improving very, very rapidly,” Robinson said. “But I don’t call AI an AI revolution, because it’s happening in a different way than genomic or the digital revolution before it. It’s not based on a specific commodity getting cheaper and cheaper — there’s so much funding already going into AI … It’s happening everywhere, all at once.”
With $230 million in taxpayer funding and grants, DPI encourages various types of technological activity. This includes research and development, as well as technology training programs for minority or disadvantaged students.
Working alongside Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, DPI is also working to fulfill another of its missions: to connect AI and quantum science.
“(We’re) doing all of (those) to increase the presence of our University … to build connections to other institutions in Chicago and increase the overall footprint of our University in Chicago,” Robinson said.
