Skip to main content
Horizontal-Lockup.jpg Horizontal-Lockup.jpg
Horizontal-Lockup.jpg Horizontal-Lockup.jpg
Technology Shared Resources Population Sciences in the Pacific

University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center and Google Cloud host AI research workshop to accelerate scientific discovery

  • 23 March 2026

Full-day event brings together UH researchers and Google experts to explore AI-powered tools, federated learning, interdisciplinary collaboration

March 23, 2026

The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, in partnership with Google Cloud, will host a landmark full-day workshop on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, titled, “Accelerating Research in the Age of AI: A Synergistic Workshop with Google.” The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sullivan Conference Center, UH Cancer Center, 701 Ilalo Street, Honolulu.

UH Cancer Center and Google banner workshopDesigned to reflect the University of Hawaiʻi’s unique geographic and cultural context, the workshop will highlight how academic-industry partnerships can strengthen research capacity by expanding access to advanced AI tools, high-performance computing, and specialized technical expertise. The program is open to UH faculty, investigators, trainees and students across biomedical, population, ocean, earth and computational sciences. Deadline to register is March 24. In-person attendance is already full, but online participation is encouraged.

"This workshop represents an exciting opportunity for UH researchers to engage directly with Google’s leading AI scientists and tools," said Dr. John Shepherd, Chief Scientific Officer at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, who is organizing the workshop. "We are committed to building the infrastructure and partnerships that will propel our research into the next generation of discovery."

Workshop Highlights

The agenda features a lineup of renowned speakers and interactive sessions, including:

  1. Keynote: “AI Co-Scientist System and Gemini-Based Research Tools,” presented by Charlie Elliot, Lead of Rapid Innovation, Google Public Sector;
  2. “Flash Talks: Great Challenges Across Disciplines,” featuring Peter Sadowski (Associate Professor, Department of Information and Computer Sciences, UH Mānoa), István Szapudi (Theoretical Cosmologist, Institute for Astronomy, UH), and Justin Stopa (Associate Professor, Ocean and Resources Engineering, UH Mānoa);
  3. Deep Dive Sessions covering your “Modern Research Toolkit” (Francisco Gonzalez, Application Modernization Specialist Architect, Google Public Sector) and “Federated Learning for Global Collaboration” (Tom Denton, Research Scientist, Google DeepMind/Google Research);
  4. Student Poster Competition, with Google-sponsored awards for the best presentations, judged during the Google-sponsored lunch break;
  5. Co-Designing Breakouts in which participants brainstorm high-impact solutions in three focus areas: AI for hypothesis generation, Google’s cloud tools, and federated learning.

The workshop will conclude with a panel discussion and vision synthesis identifying a roadmap for future UH-Google collaboration, along with the announcement of poster competition award winners.

For registration and more information, visit: https://shepherdresearchlab.org/event/collaborative-workshop-with-google/

###

About the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center

The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center is dedicated to saving lives in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, and inspiring hope by working to conquer cancer. The flagship priority is to understand and address cancer health disparities. The center strives to achieve this through research, education, patient care, and community outreach, focusing on the unique and diverse ethnic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific.

The UH Cancer Center is one of only 74 institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), representing a significant mark of excellence, and is the only NCI-designated cancer center in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The center contributes more than $57 million to Hawaiʻi's economy through scientific research, clinical trials, and other activities.

As part of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the UH Cancer Center operates out of facilities located in Kakaʻako. The center directly employs more than 300 faculty and staff, with an additional 200 affiliate members and cooperative agreements with organizations that are part of the Hawaiʻi Cancer Consortium. The consortium includes The Queen’s Health Systems, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, Kuakini Medical Center, Adventist Health Castle, Hawaiʻi Medical Service Association (HMSA), and the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), all working together with the UH Cancer Center to advance cancer research and treatment in the state.

Learn more at https://www.uhcancercenter.org  |  Connect with us on Facebook |  Instagram |  X |  LinkedIn