A Foundational Model for Extragalactic Spectroscopy: Combining Transformer-Based Deep Learning and Citizen Science

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $394,869 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Spectroscopic observations of galaxies contain critical information about their physical properties, and modern large spectroscopic surveys of galaxies are producing a plethora of data. Given the size of these datasets, traditional data analysis methods are prohibitively time consuming. The Principal Investigator (PI) will develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model called Spectroscopy Pre-trained Transformer (SpecPT) that will make use of recent advances in machine learning (ML) architectures, along with citizen science measurements, to create a general analysis package for extragalactic astronomy. The key feature of the model will be its ability to generalize across diverse spectroscopic datasets, providing rapid, accurate measurements of redshift and other physical properties of galaxies and enabling new insights into galaxy evolution. Measurements from the Redshift Wrangler citizen science project, which allows the general public to participate in measuring redshifts from extragalactic spectra, will be used as a major component of the training set for the model. The project will involve undergraduate and graduate students in the research. SpecPT is a foundational model that has been preliminarily trained using the Early Data Release (EDR) of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), with early results showing the model can measure redshifts directly from spectroscopy with a high level of accuracy and low outlier fraction. The PI will extend SpecPT training to

Key facts

NSF award ID
2511507
Awardee
Rochester Institute of Tech (NY)
SAM.gov UEI
J6TWTRKC1X14
PI
Jeyhan S Kartaltepe
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
PPSR- Public Participation in Scientific, Artificial Intelligence (AI), THEORETICAL & COMPUTATIONAL ASTROPHYSICS
Estimated total
$394,869
Funds obligated
$394,869
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
10/01/2025 → 09/30/2028