Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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From Field Hockey to WhatsApp: A USC Master’s and a Career Building for Billions

Oct 21, 2026Neeraj Narang (M.S. '14) once dreamed of being an athlete. Today he is a tech lead at WhatsApp.

Immature Brain Support Cells May Be Linked to Human Age-Related Cognitive Decline

Oct 20, 2026USC researchers studying human brain tissue found an association between abnormal immature astroglia, cells that play a supporting role in brain function, and lower reasoning ability in older adults with epilepsy.

A Lollipop That Could Make Medical Testing Easier to Swallow

Oct 20, 2026USC biomedical engineer Maral Mousavi and her students designed LollyLab to monitor health through saliva: quickly, painlessly and potentially for just a few dollars

“ISI Is a Great Place If You Want to Change the World”

Oct 19, 2026Departing Executive Director Craig Knoblock on eight years leading USC Viterbi and USC Stevens' Information Sciences Institute, reviving MOSIS, and what comes next

Got a Good Idea? Go Build It.

Oct 16, 2026Seniors in USC Viterbi's Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering have a summer and a semester to convert four years of engineering education into innovative, testable devices and systems.

New AI Spreadsheet Tool Lets You Branch, Edit and Undo and Fix Mistakes as It Goes

Oct 15, 2026The new tool gives users greater control over AI agents by allowing them to trace, steer and revise their decisions in real time, attracting new funding from Microsoft.

USC ECE Faculty Lead Innovation in Engineering Education for the AI Era

Oct 15, 2026From AI-integrated coursework to oral quizzes and video-based assessments, USC Viterbi and USC Stevens ECE department leaders are rethinking engineering education to prepare students for the rapidly evolving tech industry.

USC Viterbi to Honor Applied Mathematician Irena Lasiecka With 2026 Balakrishnan Award

Oct 14, 2026The University of Memphis professor will receive this year's Balakrishnan Research Award for her contributions to applied mathematics and control theory and deliver a lecture on AI-assisted methods for controlling complex physical systems.

USC’s Yasser Khan Receives DARPA Young Faculty Award to Develop Wearable Sensors for Monitoring Brain Injury

Oct 14, 2026USC researcher Yasser Khan, a 2026 DARPA Young Faculty Award recipient, will develop chemical and physiological sensors to help detect neural damage in patients with traumatic brain injury

Six New Faculty Join USC Stevens School of Computing and AI This Year

Oct 14, 2026Joining from the University of Michigan and USC's Information Sciences Institute, the new faculty bring expertise in AI, quantum computing, advanced hardware and machine learning

Three USC Engineers on What the Next Big Earthquake Could Mean for Los Angeles

Oct 13, 2026USC Engineering Insights — Researchers across USC Viterbi explore what the next major earthquake could mean for Los Angeles, from amplified ground motion and unstable geology to AI-powered traffic systems and the materials that determine whether a building stands or falls.

Buildings May Survive an Earthquake but Remain Unusable

Oct 13, 2026USC Engineering Insights – USC Viterbi’s Professor Bora Gencturk explains why meeting seismic code does not guarantee that a building can reopen after an earthquake, and how performance-based design could support a faster recovery.

After an Earthquake, the Road Map Changes. This AI Model Was Built for That

Oct 13, 2026USC Engineering Insights - When a major earthquake hits Los Angeles, our best traffic models will be reading a map that no longer exists. USC Viterbi professor Cyrus Shahabi is building the system that can adapt in real time.

How Los Angeles’ Geology Can Intensify an Earthquake

Oct 13, 2026USC Engineering Insights – Assistant Professor Chukwuebuka Nweke explains how the region’s sedimentary basins can amplify seismic waves – and why different earthquakes can produce different patterns of amplified ground motion across Los Angeles.

When the Internet Is Up – but You Still Can’t Get There

Oct 12, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens researchers at ISI find that partial internet failures are as common as complete outages and may linger unnoticed for years

Two USC Viterbi Professors Named INFORMS Fellows

Oct 12, 2026Ali Abbas and Johannes Royset receive one of the highest honors in operations research for helping people make better decisions in an uncertain world

USC Professor Azad Madni Awarded 2026 John Fritz Medal

Oct 12, 2026Azad M. Madni has been awarded the 2026 John Fritz Medal, widely regarded as engineering’s highest honor and often called the “Nobel Prize of Engineering.”

AI Platform Earns VA Approval to Support Veterans

Oct 09, 2026Inspired by decades of virtual-human research at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies, Sidekick uses conversational AI to help veterans navigate healthcare, employment, housing, education and benefits using information curated by VA specialists.

Meet the 2026 Ming Hsieh Institute Scholars

Oct 08, 2026Five USC Viterbi and USC Stevens ECE PhD students join the MHI Scholars Program, bringing research interests spanning quantum computing, superconducting hardware and optical communications while working to build a more connected ECE community.

From USC to Microsoft: A Career Shaping AI’s Next Era

Oct 07, 2026Priya Bhasin left New Delhi for a USC Viterbi classroom in 2014. Today, as a Group Product Manager at Microsoft AI, she's building the systems deciding what AI does next.

Terry Benzel to Lead the IEEE Computer Society Through Computing’s AI Inflection Point

Oct 07, 2026The USC cybersecurity leader and longtime volunteer has been elected president-elect with a plan to bring more voices into the 370,000-member society as artificial intelligence reshapes computing

A Better Way to Listen to the Brain

Oct 06, 2026USC researchers have developed customizable brain implants that could provide a clearer view of memory, movement, emotion and other complex functions

If You Want to Know Whether a Smile Is Real, Look at the Eyes

Oct 05, 2026A USC study of nearly 2,000 hours of Holocaust survivor testimony finds that smiling often signals distress, not happiness, and offers a simple clue for telling the two apart.

State of the School 2026: Built for What Comes Next

Oct 05, 2026From a transformative investment in AI to major research wins and a new emphasis on experiential learning, USC Viterbi continues to derive strength from its people.

For This USC Engineering Junior, Every Bottleneck Is an Opportunity

Oct 02, 2026From Olympic crowds to satellite manufacturing, USC Viterbi junior Mila Mattson is driven to make complex systems work better for everyone

USC Robotics Leader Maja Matarić Named to Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation List

Oct 01, 2026A pioneer of socially assistive robotics, Matarić has spent more than 2 decades developing robots that “help people help themselves”

Engineers Develop an AI Tool to Trace Where Wildfire Started

Sep 30, 2026USC Viterbi and Stevens researchers team up with Cal Fire to build the first AI tool that could pinpoint where a wildfire started and spread during its first 24 hours in upcoming project

The Lawyer’s Office May Be a Lifeline

Sep 29, 2026A study of hundreds of thousands of suicide records finds overlooked chances to recognize distress long before a person reaches a mental health clinic - or worse

Keeping Spacecraft Cool in the Harshest Heat

Sep 25, 2026USC engineers develop a material that can withstand temperatures exceeding 600°C while dumping heat into space and protecting interior structures

Three Decades of Building the Emotional Machine

Sep 24, 2026During his career at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies within USC Viterbi and USC Stevens, Professor Jonathan Gratch has helped define the science of affective computing and its role in shaping our increasingly complex relationships with intelligent machines.

The Science Gap Fueling Africa’s Water Wars

Sep 23, 2026In a new Nature Sustainability commentary, USC Viterbi researcher argues advanced water modeling can reduce uncertainty and help turn water disputes into opportunities for cooperation.

They Developed an AI Tool to Detect Online Job Ads Linked to Human Trafficking

Sep 22, 2026The USC Viterbi and Stevens researchers' automated system analyzes multilingual job postings to identify deceptive recruitment tactics, risky platforms and industries targeted by traffickers

A Tiny Gatekeeper Could Keep AI on Your Device

Sep 21, 2026USC Viterbi scientists built a device of five thin atomic layers that could make memory chips dramatically denser, cheaper, and powerful enough to run AI on your phone without sending a single byte to the cloud.

Carl Kesselman Wins 2026 HPDC Achievement Award

Sep 18, 2026USC pioneer honored for grid-computing breakthroughs that helped reshape large-scale science and anticipated the cloud

Building Virtual Tumors to Crack Cancer’s Resistance to Immunotherapy

Sep 18, 2026BME50 - A USC Viterbi bioengineer is building digital tumors, cell by cell, with a goal that could change how oncologists treat breast cancer: knowing in advance which patients immunotherapy will actually help.

10 Weeks to Test-Drive a Career in Research

Sep 17, 2026Each year, the USC Institute for Creative Technologies at USC Viterbi and USC Stevens hosts a summer program where visiting undergraduates participate in mentored research, combining advanced computing with expertise in psychology, linguistics and immersive media.

What If the Device Changing Brain Medicine Was Free for Anyone to Build?

Sep 17, 2026BME50 - A USC Viterbi bioengineer's implantable device that any researcher can use, modify, and build on is nearly ready for its first animal test. Getting here required reinventing not just the hardware, but how science shares its tools.

There is no “Brain X-Ray.” A USC Neurosurgeon-Engineer is Helping Build Better Ones

Sep 16, 2026BME50 - A USC neurosurgeon and engineer argues that the tools to monitor the brain cheaply and without surgery are within reach - and that getting there requires putting engineers where patients actually are.

Building a Better Transistor

Sep 15, 2026USC-led SWIFT project aims to reinvent the transistor using waves of magnetism, potentially slashing energy use and cooling costs, while helping GPS resist jamming

Four Innovators Gather at USC to Explore the Devices Changing Medicine

Sep 15, 2026BME50 - At the Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering's 50th anniversary symposium, four researchers showed how far a device can travel: from a laser cutter in a campus lab to a clinical trial, from a lollipop to a diagnostic tool, from a blind eye to restored vision.

Does AI Have Low EQ? USC Study Identifies Where Models’ Emotional Reasoning Breaks Down

Sep 14, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens engineers reveal how AI models misinterpret emotional cues from audio and video, and introduce a framework to help them reason with real evidence

Built for Speed, Engineered for Safety

Sep 11, 2026For the Auto Club of Southern California’s summer campaign against illegal street racing, the student-run design team USC Racing demonstrated how safety is built into every stage of developing a competitive race car.

50 Years of Engineering Better Health

Sep 11, 2026BME 50 - The Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering at USC Viterbi and Keck celebrated 50 years of excellence and innovation with a two-day gathering

What Happens When Food-Safety Chemicals React With Food?

Sep 10, 2026USC Viterbi researcher Adam Simpson studies compounds created when industrial disinfectants alter food, and whether those changes could affect human health.

Can AI Predict What Humans Do and Why? USC Study Sheds Light on AI’s Limits

Sep 09, 2026USC AI researcher and robotics pioneer find that LLMs can make human-like predictions by observing players in social games but struggle to learn from experience and apply what they learn to new situations

NSF Awards $20M to USC and Collaborators to Renew AI Institute

Sep 04, 2026With an expanded role in NSF AI4OPT’s second phase, USC will lead AI for Optimization research, bring together a larger interdisciplinary team and host the Seth Bonder summer camp

What Can You Do With 50,000 GPUs?

Sep 03, 2026Four USC Viterbi researchers selected for the Argonne National Laboratory extreme-scale computing program are learning how to run complex scientific simulations on the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

The Hidden Cost of Where You Live

Sep 02, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens researchers trace a costly, invisible bias in AI systems back to a single factor: your address

USC Study Helped Shape Transparency Requirements for EU Social Media Moderation Law

Sep 01, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens researchers identified a loophole in content moderation reporting regulation and proposed a statistical solution later reflected in updated European Union policy

Even Verified Cybersecurity Research Artifacts Can Be Hard to Reuse

Aug 31, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens researchers at ISI found that many cybersecurity research artifacts carrying top-tier evaluation badges were difficult to find, install or run

AI Gives Medical Advice Every Day. Who’s Checking Whether It’s Safe?

Aug 26, 2026USC researchers are building ALICE to test whether chatbots give people medical information that is accurate, complete and safe to act on

What If We Asked a Different Question?

Aug 25, 2026Five ideas from USC Viterbi Dean (Interim) Gaurav Sukhatme's Marketplace Tech conversation that explore the role of universities in the age of AI.

Unlocking the Physics of Turbulence with AI

Aug 24, 2026A USC-led collaboration has received Department of Energy Genesis Mission funding to develop an AI framework for unprecedented high-fidelity turbulence simulation.

USC Computer Scientist Answers Five Common Questions About AI

Aug 21, 2026Through AI interpretability research, Robin Jia answers five questions about AI– from emotions and consciousness to learning, decision-making and speed

How to See Eye to Eye With AI

Aug 20, 2026An award-winning study from the USC Institute for Creative Technologies and the US Army Research Laboratory applies natural language dialogue to help humans and intelligent systems coordinate knowledge and achieve shared goals.

Giving AI Agents the Keys? USC Engineers Develop Tools to Audit and Monitor AI Agents

Aug 19, 2026USC computer scientists develop tools to screen agents before they act, block risky actions in real time and trace their decisions after the fact

Can AI “Understand” a Fundamental Concept of Chemistry?

Aug 18, 2026When USC Viterbi researchers developed a way to look inside a powerful AI model, they found evidence that it had independently learned one of chemistry's most fundamental concepts: the chemical bond.

USC Students Are Developing a Forecasting System to Improve Hospital Operations

Aug 17, 2026USC Viterbi analytics and health systems management students are creating a forecasting system with an interactive analytics dashboard that helps USC Keck Medicine professionals better anticipate future patient demand and operational needs.

A new way to help CAR-T cells fight solid tumors could change cancer treatment

Aug 13, 2026USC researchers developed a technique that uses focused ultrasound to temporarily "light up" solid tumors, giving cancer-fighting immune cells a target they can finally recognize.

USC Scientists Are Using Quantum Computing to Rethink Cancer Detection

Aug 11, 2026By combining quantum computing with artificial intelligence, USC researchers are laying the groundwork for medical imaging tools that could help doctors diagnose cancer and plan treatments more precisely

Can AI Read the Room? USC Study Finds AI Is Better at Reading Than Listening

Aug 10, 2026Researchers identified why audio AI models miss tone, emotion and other audio cues - and developed new solutions that dramatically improve their ability to interpret speech beyond words

Making Medical AI More Reliable

Aug 06, 2026A new NSF-funded project will create an open-source framework that traces AI errors to their source, helping researchers and clinicians build more trustworthy medical AI systems

How USC Viterbi Engineers Are Helping Trojan Football Gain a Competitive Edge

Aug 05, 2026USC Viterbi analytics students are creating a new, comprehensive database so the USC Trojans football team can better access the insights needed to win on the gridiron.

A New Model to Improve Resource Planning and Allocation

Aug 04, 2026USC Viterbi’s Karmel S. Shehadeh introduces a framework to help organizations better balance procurement cost, shortages, and waste under uncertainty.

From Robotron to $2.3 Billion: How William Wang Is Paying It Forward at USC Viterbi

Jul 30, 2026A transformational $10 million gift from the Vizio founder and his wife creates the William Wang Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub — and may establish a new model for engineering entrepreneurship nationwide.

USC Researchers Discover Fake News Spreaders Have Less Followers Than Users Pushing Back

Jul 29, 2026AI tools developed by USC Analyzing Misinformation during the COVID 19 Pandemic finds users countering misinformation are more established, more emotional, and have larger followings than accounts spreading false claims

Can AI Make Us Better Thinkers? USC Researcher Studies How Human and AI Think Together by Looking at Brain Signals

Jul 28, 2026Upcoming NSF-funded study will study how doctors, journalists and software engineers interact with AI to redesign interactions that strengthen creativity and critical thinking

From Stress-Relief Vibration Patterns to Haptic Emojis, USC Researchers Personalize the Sense of Touch With AI

Jul 27, 2026New study is first to develop algorithm that learns an individual's preferred vibration patterns, opening the door to personalized haptic experiences in gaming, mental health and automobiles

A New Way to Monitor Methane from Abandoned Wells

Jul 24, 2026Petroleum researchers at USC Viterbi School of Engineering have developed a low-cost system for large-scale, continuous monitoring of abandoned wells.

USC Space Lab Opens Its Doors as A New Era of Space Competition Takes Off

Jul 23, 2026First-ever open house showcases USC SERC where students are building satellites, developing space robots and preparing for the next generation of space exploration

New Stretchable Catheter Could Help Doctors Spot Plaque Before It Causes Heart Attacks

Jul 22, 2026An NIH Trailblazer Award is supporting USC Viterbi Assistant Professor Hangbo Zhao's research on flexible medical electronics designed to give physicians new insights into high-risk artery plaque.

New AI Lets Robots Decide Which Collisions Are Safe

Jul 21, 2026USC Viterbi researchers developed a context-aware AI system that helps robots distinguish harmless contact from risky collisions in complex environments.

AI in 2026: Smarter Models, Harder Questions

Jul 20, 2026USC Viterbi researcher Yolanda Gil on the state of artificial intelligence through the 2026 AI Index.

USC Professor Receives Decision Analysis’ Highest Honor

Jul 16, 2026Ali Abbas wins the Frank P. Ramsey Medal for decades of research that has helped shape how people make complex decisions

USC Advances Humanoid Robotics, Robot Learning and 3D Manipulation at RSS 2026

Jul 15, 2026USC Researchers to Lead Workshops and Present Papers at RSS 2026: From Humanoid Foundation Models and Robotic Reward Learning to 3D Vision for Precision Manipulation

Finding a Tumor’s Soft Spot to Power-up Immunotherapy

Jul 14, 2026USC researchers have developed a new "black box" tool to measure the softness of tumor cells, an insight that could be crucial for more effective cancer treatment.

USC Study Used Sweat, Brain Signals, Eye Movements and AI to Detect Depression and Suicide Risk

Jul 13, 2026Researchers analyzed biomarkers that could help psychiatrists identify at-risk individuals earlier and more objectively, supplementing existing self-report surveys and clinical interviews

The Power of Following Through

Jul 09, 2026USC Viterbi graduate Alex Wang turned curiosity, leadership and a passion for public service into an extraordinary four-year journey.

USC researcher Longwei Liu uses ultrasound and genetic engineering to develop targeted treatments for blindness and other diseases

Jul 08, 2026The ophthalmology researcher and biomedical engineer aims to create cures that remotely trigger cell and gene therapies for conditions ranging from a genetic disorder that can rob infants of their vision to cancer.

The Hidden Cardiovascular Risks of Nicotine-Free Vaping

Jul 08, 2026A study by USC Viterbi researchers indicates that nicotine-free e-cigarettes can disrupt the heart's oxygen supply-demand balance, a key indicator of cardiovascular health.

Can ChatGPT Be Your Therapist? USC Study Tests AI Responses to Mental Health Questions

Jul 07, 2026USC Research Finds AI Strong in Empathy with Promising Potential for Mental Health Support, but Models Still Struggle With Safety Concerns

Toward Quantum-Augmented Databases: New USC Study Aims to Break the Bottlenecks Slowing Modern Data Systems

Jul 06, 2026USC Viterbi researcher wins NSF Career Award and aims to study how quantum computing can transform database optimization for a data-intensive future

USC Research Advances Fairer Algorithms and Smarter Markets at EC 2026

Jul 06, 2026USC Researchers to Present 4 Papers at EC 2026: Advancing Algorithmic Fairness, Market Design and AI at the Intersection of Economics and Computing

AI Location Bias; AI Missing Vocal Clues: USC Viterbi and USC Stevens at ICML 2026

Jul 06, 2026Researchers will spotlight USC Viterbi's strengths in machine learning, AI and responsible AI research at the prestigious conference.

USC Computer Science Chair Nenad Medvidović Inducted as ACM Fellow

Jul 02, 2026Recognized for foundational contributions to software architecture and large-scale systems design, Medvidović reflects on research, mentorship and solving problems that matter.

AI To Prevent Suicide; AI To Better Diagnose Respiratory Diseases: USC Viterbi and USC Stevens at ACL 2026

Jul 02, 2026The prestigious conference brings together researchers and practitioners to share advances in natural language processing.

A New Leader for USC Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

Jul 01, 2026Professor Noah Malmstadt, newly appointed chair of the USC Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, discusses the energy and manufacturing challenges that connect the disciplines, and why the future of the department is built on firm foundations.

A New Vision for the USC Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering

Jul 01, 2026Professor Assad Oberai, newly appointed chair of USC Viterbi’s Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (AME), discusses how advances in computation, autonomy and artificial intelligence are reshaping the field - and where AME should focus its efforts next.

USC Breakthrough Could Help Scientists Spot Disease Clusters, Fraud Networks and More

Jun 30, 2026USC Viterbi researcher Emilio Ferrara has built a tool that can map communities inside massive social, biological, and financial networks faster and smarter than anything that came before.

“Push Through the Open Door”: Dean Yannis C. Yortsos’ Return to India

Jun 30, 2026On one of his final trips as dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering, Yortsos celebrated new scholarships, reconnected with alumni, and inspired the next generation of Trojans in India.

A Day to Remember: Viterbi School Honors Dean Yortsos with a Celebration Full of Surprises

Jun 29, 2026After 21 years as dean, Yortsos honored with six new philanthropic initiatives that bear his name.

The Exit Interview: Dean Yannis C. Yortsos

Jun 29, 2026Twenty-One Years. Twenty-One Questions. A Q&A with USC Viterbi's longest serving dean.

USC Brings the World’s Control and AI Researchers to Campus – Together

Jun 29, 2026Two leading conferences, L4DC and NeuS, converged at USC to tackle the same hard problem from two directions: how do we trust machines that learn?

For America’s 250th, We Created Commemorative Stamps of Trojan Builders

Jun 29, 2026Need patriotic stamps? We've got you covered. Check out our collection of 14 USC computer scientists and engineers who helped build the modern computing world. Also, they're animated.

USC Studies Aim to Advance Self-Driving Cars, Transform Robot “Brains” and Understand Workplace AI Use

Jun 25, 20263 USC faculty will lead research projects funded by the Toyota Research Institute

USC startup receives up to $3.7 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop an inner ear imaging device

Jun 24, 2026AO Technologies, founded by USC researchers John Oghalai and Brian Applegate, has secured an ARPA-H small business award to develop a cochleoscope for clinical imaging of the inner ear.

Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship News

Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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