Informatics Research Institute
Where technology aligns with human values to transform society
We are committed to groundbreaking research, shaped by community and user engagement, that drives scientific advancements and real-world solutions toward healthier populations, resilient communities, and a secure, interconnected world.
Our mission is to harness the power of AI and data science through:
- Conducting use-inspired research that addresses critical societal challenges in population health, crisis response, community resilience, and cybersecurity.
- Creating innovative technology that empowers researchers, practitioners, and communities to leverage AI and data science for positive impact.
- Educating and training the next generation of experts to tackle complex challenges and contribute to a safer, healthier, and more resilient world.
The Informatics Research Institute (IRI) at UL Lafayette is home to four research centers focused on using information to solve significant societal problems.
The National Incident Management Systems and Advanced Technologies (NIMSAT) Institute focuses on enriching public-private partnerships and advanced information technologies to enhance the national resiliency for a full range of potential disasters. Our Mission is to save human lives. Our experienced emergency management team joins university researchers and technology experts to build a more resilient America through education, training, outreach, and operational support to empower the homeland security and emergency management community.
The Accessible Healthcare Through AI Augmented Decisions (AHeAD) Center is a proposed National Science Foundation Industry University Cooperative Research Ceter that brings together interdisciplinary experts in various topics related to AI, ML, clinical and public health decision support and implementation science. Our mission is to address technology gaps and create best practices to create usable AI-based healthcare decision-support tools for everyone.
The Center for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity (CCIC) brings together multiple and diverse expertise from across the University with the mission to help our nation prepare for cyberattacks that may impact the country's critical infrastructure.CCIC was founded to examine cybersecurity from the perspective of the cascading impact of a major cyber incident on the nation’s critical infrastructure, such as that experienced by the 2015 cyberattack on Ukraine Power Grid. The Center for the Study of Existential Risk in the Cambridge University, UK, now places cyberattack as a “blue sky hazard” that can take an entire power grid down for a prolonged period. A consequence of such attack would go beyond loss of data. It can completely disrupt the functioning of society, much like from a large scale natural disaster.
The Louisiana Center for Health Innovation (LCHI) is committed to advancing healthcare innovation by developing research, education, and engagement activities while fostering collaboration among academia, industry, and the community. We do this to advance healthcare outcomes, promote health equity, and develop a skilled workforce that meets the needs of Louisiana and beyond.
