Open and Scalable: Inside IFM@MBZUAI’s Foundation Model Stack
The Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) at MBZUAI — the world’s first AI university — invites the UC Berkeley community to an evening of technical discussion and research exchange.
IFM is a global foundation model lab with research hubs in Abu Dhabi, Silicon Valley, and Paris. Our work spans large language models, multimodal systems, and world models, with a focus on open science, rigorous evaluation, and scalable model design. Since establishing our Silicon Valley lab last May, we have been expanding rapidly, with internship and full-time opportunities across AI infrastructure, data, pre-training, post-training, and agent systems.
Join us to learn more about our research, connect directly with our team, and pick up some IFM swag — including wireless power banks.
https://chat.whatsapp.com/LUrteWWfMHCHdcw53g6okm?mode=gi_c
This event will include:
A deep dive into IFM’s efforts to push the limits of open foundation models, from the K2 series to the PAN world model
A research panel on world models and next-generation agents
Extended audience Q&A with senior researchers
Networking and recruiting conversations
About IFM
IFM advances open, scientifically rigorous foundation models through initiatives such as LLM360 and the K2 series, where we openly share architectures, datasets, training protocols, and evaluation frameworks.
Our research explores frontier directions in world modeling and agentic systems through the PAN project. We are committed to building scalable, reliable models grounded in transparent scientific practice.
Who Should Attend:
AI researchers working on LLMs, multimodal systems, world models, or agents
PhD, master’s, and undergraduate students in CS, DS, AI, or robotics
Student founders and technical builders developing applications on open-source foundation models
Product- and infrastructure-focused students interested in frontier AI systems
If you are building or researching foundation models and next-generation AI systems, this event is for you.
Tentative Agenda:
5:00 PM — Registration & Welcome
Light refreshments and check-in
Exclusive IFM swag
5:30 PM — Opening Remarks (MBZUAI / IFM)
Jane Zhang, US Communications Lead, MBZUAI
5:45 PM — Technical Deep Dive: Pushing the Limits of Open Foundation Models
Hector Liu, Director, IFM Silicon Valley Lab
6:45 PM — Panel Discussion: Beyond Text — World Models, Agents, and the Next Frontier
Zihan Liu (Technical Lead of IFM's PAN World Model)
Hector Liu (IFM Silicon Valley Lab Director)
Alane Suhr (Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley CS Department)
Gasper Begus (Associate Professor of Linguistics, UC Berkeley
Mayank Mishra (Researcher at MIT-IBM, currently PhD at Berkeley)
Moderator: Jane Zhang (MBZUAI US Communications Lead)
Audience Q&A included
7:45 PM — Research Opportunities & Build with K2 Initiative
7:50 PM — Networking
Date: February 20, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM