Mouyang Cheng Awarded CCSE MathWorks Research Prize
On March 12, 2026 during the CCSE Community Reception, the MIT CCSE MathWorks Research Prize for Outstanding Doctoral Research, 2026 was awarded to Mouyang Cheng for his work, “Closing the Gap in AI-Powered Quantum and Materials Science”. Cheng, a second-year graduate student in the interdisciplinary doctoral program in Computational Science and Engineering via the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE-CSE PhD), is a member of the Quantum Measurement Group, advised by Mingda Li, Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering.
Cheng’s work focuses on turning AI from theoretical predictions into real, usable discoveries by developing AI systems that can identify and design novel materials with clear benefits for society. His approach combines three AI techniques: learning from experimental signals, physics-guided design, and knowledge mining from scientific literature. These methods enable finding and designing new materials faster and more efficiently than traditional approaches. The goal of Cheng’s work is to create an automated discovery system that learns from real experiments, proposes new materials worth testing, and uses knowledge from past research to guide experimentation in real time, potentially reducing discovery timelines. Ultimately, Cheng aims to demonstrate AI’s ability to drive meaningful technological change rather than simply analyze data, potentially advancing the field from prediction to real-world material innovation.
