BIDMaP Postdoctoral Fellow Alumnus Peichen Zhong has been selected as a 2025 AI2050 Early Career Fellow by Schmidt Sciences, one of the most prestigious global recognitions for researchers shaping the future of artificial intelligence for societal benefit.
Peichen is now a NUS Presidential Young Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the National University of Singapore. This fall, he launched the Applied Machine Learning and Materials Modeling Group (The AM3 Group) at NUS. Inspired by BIDMaP’s success in AI for Science, his group focuses on developing theoretical frameworks and AI methodologies in close collaboration with experimentalists across materials and chemistry.
Peichen is one of 28 researchers across 42 institutions and eight countries to receive this honor. The fellowship provides over $18 million in total support to advance bold, high-impact AI research aligned with a central question: How can we ensure that AI in 2050 is beneficial for humanity?
Advancing the Future of AI for Materials and Electrochemical Systems
During his time at BIDMaP, Peichen worked at the forefront of AI-driven materials science under the mentorship of Kristin Persson, Bingqing Cheng, and Aditi Krishnapriyan, contributing foundational advances in both method development and real-world applications.
His research at BIDMaP spanned three major areas:
1. Long-range machine-learning interatomic potentials.
Peichen developed ML interatomic potentials capable of predicting charges and electrical responses, enabling more accurate atomistic simulations of complex materials and interfaces.
2. Generative modeling for crystal structure prediction
He extended conditional generation techniques in diffusion models to improve symmetry-awareness in structure prediction—achieving higher symmetry success rates and paving the way for more reliable generative design of new materials.
3. Applications to electrochemical interfaces and Li-metal batteries
Peichen applied these methods to uncover the interfacial structure and transport mechanisms of lithium in Li-metal batteries, advancing understanding of next-generation energy storage.
As an AI2050 Fellow, Peichen will build on this trajectory by developing next-generation AI models capable of accelerating scientific reasoning and enabling new forms of digital materials exploration. His work reflects BIDMaP’s vision for globally connected discovery: bridging computation, chemistry, and planetary impact.
Celebrating a BIDMaP Fellow’s Global Leadership
BIDMaP leadership emphasized the significance of this recognition:
Faculty Director Christian Borgs noted the broader context of the award:
A Growing Community Shaping the Future of AI
Peichen’s recognition underscores the growing influence of BIDMaP-trained researchers in global AI and scientific innovation. The institute’s fellows are helping build an international community where advances in computation and materials science reinforce one another, accelerating progress across fields.
Learn more:
The AI2050 Program
Forbes Article
Schmidt Sciences is a nonprofit organization founded in 2024 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt that works to accelerate scientific knowledge and breakthroughs with the most promising, advanced tools to support a thriving planet. The organization prioritizes research in areas poised for impact including AI and advanced computing, astrophysics, biosciences, climate, and space—as well as supporting researchers in a variety of disciplines through its science systems program.