WORCESTER—Two Worcester Polytechnic Institute research teams are getting a boost from Beacon Hill to bring artificial intelligence to some of the dirtiest problems on the planet — waste and recycling.
WPI professors Michael Timko and Berk Calli each received state funding through the Massachusetts AI Models Innovation Challenge, a new grant program created by the Massachusetts AI Hub and MassTech Collaborative to support applied AI research that tackles real-world challenges.
Their projects are among just seven statewide to win funding under the inaugural program, which Governor Maura Healey called “a laser-focused approach” to using AI for sustainable growth and job creation.
Timko, William B. Smith Professor of Chemical Engineering and head of the department, received $381,931 for his project “Machine Learning Digital Twins to Transform Waste to Renewable Energy.” His team is developing an AI-powered “digital twin” — a virtual model that can simulate a complex process known as hydrothermal liquefaction, which turns waste into fuel.
By running data from thousands of experiments through machine learning, the simulation can predict results faster and at lower cost than traditional testing. According to the announcement, Timko’s project aims to reduce the risk and expense for waste processors considering renewable energy technologies, helping Massachusetts meet its goals for cutting municipal solid waste.
Collaborating with Timko are Andrew Teixeira, Nikolaos Kazantzis and Geoffrey Tompsett from WPI’s Chemical Engineering Department.
The second WPI project, led by Berk Calli, an associate professor in the Robotics Engineering Department, was awarded $279,731 for “Automated Dataset Generation for Training High-Performance Classification and Segmentation Models in Industrial Recycling Applications.”
Calli’s team is developing an AI-powered robotic system that could revolutionize how recycling facilities sort materials. The system learns from video footage of human workers sorting recyclables, allowing it to classify and separate items more efficiently — without requiring tedious, manual labeling of millions of images.
The goal is to reduce the volume of recyclable materials sent to landfills and support the circular economy. According to the release, Calli’s project could “advance efforts to reuse and regenerate materials” while improving safety and accuracy at sorting facilities.
Both projects will involve WPI undergraduate and graduate students, giving them hands-on experience in the fast-evolving field of applied artificial intelligence.
The state’s $2.8 million in total grants, paired with nearly $1 million in matching funds from universities and industry partners, supports research ranging from flood planning and pediatric healthcare to manufacturing and recycling.
In all, the challenge drew 61 submissions statewide. MassTech selected winners through a competitive process that weighed both potential impact and adherence to ethical AI practices.
In a statement announcing the awards, Massachusetts AI Hub Director Sabrina Mansur said the program is “a unique investment in research and development, the broader AI ecosystem, and in the state’s future as a leader in responsible and applied AI.”
For Worcester, it’s also another reminder that the city’s engineers are helping shape the future — one algorithm, and one piece of trash, at a time.
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