Tianlong Chen

Tianlong Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, starting in Fall 2024. His research focuses on AI trustworthiness, efficiency, and scientific applications, particularly through sparsity, multimodal learning, and large language model (LLM) innovations.

Research Interests include:

• Sparsity techniques for LLM optimization
• Multimodal learning and graph neural networks
• AI safety and privacy preservation
• Quantum computing applications
• Biological-informed AI systems

Recent Trends in his publications emphasize Mixture-of-Experts (MoE), LLM safety mechanisms, and lifelong learning architectures. Awards highlight recognition from Amazon, UNC Provost, NAIRR, and AAAI.

Scientific Awards:

• Amazon Research Award (2025)
• UNC Accelerating AI Awards (2025)
• NAIRR Pilot Award (2025)
• CPAL/KAUST Rising Star Awards (2025)
• AAAI New Faculty Highlights (2025)

Advising: Mentors 19 Ph.D. students across UNC Chapel Hill and remote collaborations, focusing on AI4Science, LLMs, and quantum computing. Grants include Cisco Research funding and UNC Provost AI support.