Foundations of
intelligent software
Redefining the forms, abstractions, and architectures of software when learning, reasoning, and adaptation become part of its behavior.
What can software become?
PURDUE ISC · INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE & SYSTEMS CENTERSoftware × AI × Physical systems
Software that learns.
Systems that evolve.
Bringing industry and Purdue faculty together to shape the future of intelligent software and systems.
Explore our research ↗An emerging consortium for industry–university researchDiscover the vision ↓
01 / OUR VISION
A new era of software.
A shared ambition.
Software is becoming an active participant in the world it supports—learning, adapting, and evolving with its environment.
Purdue’s Intelligent Software & Systems Center (ISC) is taking shape as a consortium connecting industry with faculty across Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, and related fields. Together, this community will define research questions and develop solutions for software in the AI era and its interaction with physical systems.
Our vision is to position Purdue as a national leader in AI-driven software systems, powering intelligent computing from the edge to the cloud to high-performance computing.
Our role is to convene people with complementary expertise, identify challenges that benefit from joint research, and help collaborations take shape.
Research innovationTechnology translationWorkforce development
02 / RESEARCH DIRECTIONSFOUR CONNECTED FRONTIERS
Rethinking software.
From foundations to the physical world.
Four broad areas frame the conversations among industry and Purdue faculty. Specific research questions and solutions will emerge through collaboration.
Foundations of
The AI-driven
software lifecycle
Exploring how AI changes requirements, design, development, testing, deployment, maintenance, and the people and practices behind them.
How will we build and evolve it?
Intelligence beyond
the screen
Exploring the interplay between intelligent software and physical systems, including their joint design, operation, adaptation, safety, and reliability.
How will it interact with the world?
Efficient systems
for AI
Optimizing the systems that support AI—from resource-constrained edge devices to cloud platforms and supercomputers.
How will we make it efficient?
Across every directionTrustworthinessSecurity & reliabilityPerformanceEnergy & resource efficiency
QUESTIONS TO SHAPE TOGETHER
A research agenda built through collaboration
ISC is an emerging consortium hub where industry practitioners and Purdue faculty come together to identify shared challenges, define research questions, and develop solutions. The questions below are starting points for that conversation. Priorities and approaches will grow through collaboration.
How should software evolve in the AI era?
What makes AI-assisted development dependable, understandable, and maintainable across the full software lifecycle? Where do current practices fall short of industry needs?
How can software and physical systems advance together?
How should changes in software, hardware, operating conditions, and domain knowledge inform one another? What is needed to assess their effects on safety, reliability, and performance?
What makes intelligent systems practical?
How can we balance capability with energy, cost, latency, security, and resource constraints? Which challenges are shared across platforms and application domains?
03 / PEOPLE & ORGANIZATION
Different disciplines.
Connected expertise.
A hub connecting Purdue faculty across departments with industry practitioners to form research collaborations around shared challenges.
Center leadership
DIRECTOR
Xipeng Shen
Professor, Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Purdue University
Compilers and runtime systems, GPU and heterogeneous computing, high-performance machine learning, and real-time AI.
IEEE Fellow · ACM Distinguished Member
NSF CAREER Award · DOE Early Career Award
CENTER MANAGER
Erin Britton
Intelligent Software & Systems Center
Purdue University
THE COMMUNITY
A cross-disciplinary hub
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Computer Science
Industrial Engineering
Related engineering and computing fields
THE WORK
Three connected efforts
Foundational and applied research
Industry partnership and translation
Education and professional development
AFFILIATED FACULTYDepth in every discipline.
Depth in every discipline.
Strength in the connections.
ISC brings together expertise spanning the software lifecycle, AI foundations, computing infrastructure, security, physical systems, and engineering education—so complex challenges can draw on more than one field.
- Affiliated faculty
- 19
- Academic homes
- 7
Explore the expertise
Complementary strengths across the center’s research directions. Faculty interests often span several areas.
AI & software engineering
Build, analyze, test, and evolve dependable software.
Lin Tan
Computer Science
AI for software engineering; software reliability.
IEEE Fellow · Mary J. Elmore New Frontiers Professor
Xiangyu Zhang
Computer Science
Program analysis, automated debugging, and software security.
Samuel D. Conte Professor
Jamie Davis
Electrical & Computer Engineering
AI for software engineering and software engineering practice.
Xueling Zhang
Applied & Creative Computing
Software testing, analysis, and privacy on mobile and emerging platforms.
Armin Moin
Applied & Creative Computing
AI for software engineering; hybrid quantum-classical computing.
Director, QCASE Lab
Security & trustworthy intelligence
Protect software and data, and reason about AI behavior.
Ninghui Li
Computer Science
Security, privacy, and data protection.
ACM Fellow · IEEE Fellow · Samuel D. Conte Professor
Santiago Torres Arias
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Software supply-chain security, applied cryptography, and secure systems.
Tao Li
Applied & Creative Computing
AI security; security and privacy in mobile and distributed systems.
Xiaokang Qiu
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Programming languages and formal methods.
David I. Inouye
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Robust and explainable AI, causal machine learning, and fairness.
Efficient & sustainable AI systems
Connect AI capability with performance and resource efficiency.
Y. Charlie Hu
Electrical & Computer Engineering
AI/ML systems, mobile computing, and distributed systems.
IEEE Fellow · Michael and Katherine Birck Professor
Milind Kulkarni
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Languages, compilers, and runtimes for emerging computing architectures.
Michael and Katherine Birck Head of ECE · PECASE recipient
Yi Ding
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Sustainable and trustworthy computing systems and AI.
Lead, Software Water Intensity project
Intelligence in physical systems
Bring intelligent software into devices and real-world operations.
Younghyun Kim
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Edge AI, embedded computing, and cyber-physical systems.
VLSI and Circuit Design area chair
Xiao Jing
Aviation & Transportation Technology
AI for aviation scheduling and operations.
Yaobin Chen
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Intelligent transportation, automated vehicles, vehicle electrification, intelligent controls, and robotics.
IEEE Fellow · Director, Transportation & Autonomous Systems Institute
James Michael Goppert
Aeronautics & Astronautics
Unmanned aerial systems, drone navigation and autonomy, and autonomous systems testing.
Research Assistant Professor · Managing Director, Purdue UAS Research and Test Facility
David Cappelleri
Mechanical Engineering
Multi-scale robotic manipulation and assembly, mobile micro/nano robotics, mechatronics, and automation for the life sciences.
Professor of Mechanical Engineering · Assistant Vice President for Research Innovation
Engineering education & workforce
Connect emerging research with how engineers learn and work.
Kirsten Davis
Engineering Education
Experiential learning, systems thinking, and professional skills development.
2025 Outstanding Experiential Education Research Award
Bring a challenge. Connect with the expertise to explore it.
Find a research connection04 / INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONCONNECT DISCOVERY WITH PRACTICE
Real challenges.
Shared progress.
Help define the questions that matter. Purdue ISC brings industry experience and faculty expertise together to shape research across intelligent software and systems.
As the consortium takes shape, we invite industry and Purdue faculty to bring forward challenges, explore common interests, and identify opportunities to work together.
Consortium participation · In developmentShape research challenges
Bring practical challenges and open questions. Work with faculty to identify research needs, constraints, and opportunities shared across organizations.
Develop solutions together
Connect complementary expertise, explore alternative approaches, and shape collaborative research around jointly defined questions.
Develop the future workforce
Help connect emerging research with the knowledge and skills professionals need in the AI era.
Bring challenges. Build connections. Create solutions.
Industry
Challenges & domain experience
Purdue faculty
Expertise & research ideas
PURDUE ISCA place to define what comes next
Connect people · Find common ground
01 / ASKShared questions
→What matters—and what is unknown?
02 / EXPLORECollaborative research
→Form teams and investigate approaches.
03 / LEARNDevelop & evaluate
Explore solutions and learn from evidence.
New insights inform the next questions
Start a conversation with Purdue ISC
Contact us to discuss research challenges, faculty participation, industry collaboration, or workforce development.
Xipeng ShenDirector
Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Purdue University
Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Purdue University
Erin BrittonCenter Manager
Purdue University
Purdue University
APPLICATION HORIZONS
Software & Internet Platforms / Cloud & AI Infrastructure / Semiconductors & Accelerated Computing / Mobile & Edge Systems / Manufacturing / Energy / Transportation / Health / Agriculture / Aerospace
05 / EDUCATION & WORKFORCE
The next generation
of systems starts
with people.
Helping students and working professionals build expertise in intelligent software and AI-enabled systems.
ISC aims to connect research with learning opportunities across intelligent software and systems. Industry perspectives will help identify emerging skill needs and shape professional development alongside faculty expertise.
Graduate-level certificates
PlannedFocused learning in AI-enabled software systems.
Professional training
PlannedOpportunities for professionals to update their knowledge across the center’s research directions.
06 / NEWS & ACTIVITIES
Ideas in motion.
Conversations, research exchanges, and opportunities to connect with the ISC community.
Events & community gatherings
Upcoming seminars, workshops, and other center activities will be announced here as schedules are confirmed.
Dates to be announcedNews & research highlights
Center updates, research milestones, and resources from recent activities will appear here.
Updates forthcoming