FIU engineers and computer scientists are leading transformative research in resilience, space and more
Environmental resilience. Cardiovascular science. Space exploration. These are just three of the strategic areas that researchers at Florida International University’s (FIU) College of Engineering & Computing are working to advance.
Whether harnessing the power of AI to predict flooding patterns or conducting biomedical engineering research that can have crucial implications on the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, FIU’s engineers and computer scientists are pioneering groundbreaking research to ensure the health and wellbeing of generations to come.
“The FIU College of Engineering & Computing sits at a remarkable intersection of disciplines: environmental resilience, cybersecurity, AI, quantum science, (and) biomedical engineering,” said Jack Puleo, dean of FIU’s College of Engineering & Computing and associate vice president of research for Strategic Initiatives in Coastal Engineering and Resilience in the Office of Research and Economic Development.
That intersection of disciplines is exactly what makes high-impact research possible.
"The FIU College of Engineering & Computing sits at a remarkable intersection of disciplines."
The Future of Resilient Communities
With a U.S. shoreline population of approximately 131 million people, natural hazards now inflict more than $100 billion in damages annually – impacting homes, economies, infrastructure and national security. Amid these realities, FIU is leading the most ambitious leap forward in resilience science in a generation.
The university is spearheading the design of the National Full-Scale Testing Infrastructure for Community Hardening in Extreme Wind, Surge, and Wave Events – or NICHE – a groundbreaking facility. When constructed, it will redefine how researchers study extreme event forcing and the response of natural and built infrastructure. With its design supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, NICHE would be the world’s largest testbed for exploring the combined effects of extreme wind, storm surge and waves on full-scale structures and coastal processes.
Designed to produce 200 mph winds and 16-foot waves, the facility would allow experts to evaluate structural performance and coastal processes in ways no laboratory has done before. Its planned immersive physical-digital visualizations, including regional simulation tools, would enable stakeholders to step inside simulated storms to understand their impacts and determine the efficacies of innovative solutions.
AI and Flooding
A collaborative team from FIU developed an advanced AI model that could transform how water managers predict and respond to flooding in Florida’s vast canal system. The breakthrough offers near-instant simulations of flood scenarios. It then goes further, suggesting actionable strategies.
“We were able to create a tool that provides water managers with the information to either eliminate a flood event or drastically reduce it,” said Giri Narasimhan, an FIU Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences professor.
Jimeng Shi, who led the research as a Ph.D. student in Narasimhan’s research group, developed the model to run through complex or worst-case scenarios in seconds. Using nearly a decade of historical environmental and weather data collected by the South Florida Water Management District, the AI system was trained to recognize how rainfall, tides, groundwater and storm surge interact across the region.
The New Frontier
The space economy is projected to surpass $1.8 trillion by 2035. From next-generation materials to antennas, FIU researchers are addressing some of the biggest challenges standing between today’s technology and tomorrow’s missions.
Examples include:
- FIU’s Cold Spray and Rapid Deposition Laboratory developed coatings and materials that shield spacecraft from the harsh conditions in space. Several FIU-patented technologies have already been tested on the International Space Station and at NASA facilities.
- FIU integrates cutting-edge nanomaterials into sensors, optics and small satellites. These technologies boost the reliability of spacecraft electronics — and even wearable systems inside astronaut suits.
- Researchers are designing ultralight, highly efficient solar devices built from novel semiconductor nanoparticles. These materials could capture twice the power of today’s commercial solar tech, helping fuel future lunar habitats and long-duration missions.
- FIU’s Transforming Antennas Center developed secure, resilient communication systems capable of sending massive amounts of data across interplanetary distances — critical for real-time data for various industries, global internet and more.
Additionally, FIU alumni are leaders in the space industry. Alumna Denisse Aranda ’10 is a principal systems contamination control engineer at Blue Origin. She played a crucial role in the 2025 launch of the New Glenn rocket, which was part of NASA’s Twin ESCAPADE mission to learn more about the solar wind’s interaction with Mars and its magnetic environment.
Likewise, a dozen engineering and computing graduates worked on critical aspects of NASA’s Artemis II mission, which successfully sent four astronauts on a 10-day lunar flyby in April. “Thanks to FIU, I’m here,” said Claudia Eyzaguirre ’14, an elements operation manager at NASA. “FIU did a great job preparing me.”
Revolutionary cardiovascular science
The American Heart Association estimates at least six in 10 U.S. adults (more than 184 million people) will have some type of cardiovascular disease by 2050.
Joshua Hutcheson, a biomedical engineering professor and Fellow of the American Heart Association, is working to address this problem through various research projects funded by the NIH and Florida Heart Research Foundation.
In one project, Hutcheson and researcher Valentina Dargam came up with an invention that “listens” for changes in the heart, providing a way to pinpoint markers of heart failure based on the frequency and durations of sounds in a cardiac cycle. Paired with an algorithm, it could open the door to more accessible, low-cost diagnostics for routine doctor’s visits or at-home style tests for earlier detection, diagnosis and better treatment outcomes. Today, the AI-based diagnostic algorithm is 95% accurate in classifying healthy heart sounds and nearly 85% accurate in differentiating between types of heart disease.
Hutcheson is the inaugural director of an interdisciplinary center that is accelerating breakthroughs in heart disease research, education and innovation. Backed by an $11.7 million investment from the Florida Heart Research Foundation, the FIU-Florida Heart Research Foundation Center for Innovation in Cardiovascular Health brings together experts in various fields including biomedical engineering, medicine, AI, computer science, nursing and more.
The goal: uncover the fundamental drivers of cardiovascular disease and translate discoveries into improved patient outcomes across Florida and beyond.
This content was paid for and created by Florida International University. The editorial staff of The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Find out more about paid content.
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