2026 I-Sim Workshop - Simulation in the Age of Digital Twins and AI; Raleigh, North Carolina; 31 July to 3 August 2026

This grant provides support for the 2026 INFORMS Simulation Society (I-Sim) Research Workshop, to be held at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 31 July to 3 August 2026, centered on the theme “Simulation in the Age of Digital Twins and AI.” The workshop will convene leading researchers in stochastic simulation, artificial intelligence, optimization, applied probability, and statistics to address emerging theoretical challenges arising from the integration of simulation with learning-based and data-driven systems. The goal of the workshop is to identify uniquely emerging areas of AI and Digital Twins integration. As simulation is increasingly embedded within adaptive, real-time decision environments—such as digital twin architectures—classical theoretical guarantees no longer directly apply, creating a need for new foundational frameworks. The workshop will focus on this specific gap of knowledge. The workshop will feature plenary lectures, invited presentations, panel discussions, and a Summer School aimed at graduate students and early-career researchers. Particular emphasis will be placed on expanding participation through targeted support for researchers from EPSCoR jurisdictions. All materials, including recorded talks and a workshop report, will be made publicly available to maximize dissemination. By fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and identifying key research directions, the workshop will contribute to advancing the theoretical foundations of simulation in next-generation engineering systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2624250 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Hong Wan | Institution: North Carolina State University, RALEIGH, NC | Award Amount: $35,638 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2624250 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2624250.html