Dr. Shayan Mirzabeigi

ESF’s Dr. Shayan Mirzabeigi Named to Inaugural Class of the SUNY AI for The Public Good Fellows

09/19/2025

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Sept. 22, 2025 — Dr. Shayan Mirzabeigi at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), was named to the inaugural class of SUNY’s AI for the Public Good Fellows by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. The 20 SUNY faculty and staff fellows are experts in their fields of study – ranging from health sciences to sustainable resources management to English.  

The AI for the Public Good Fellows will serve as a resource to SUNY’s colleges and universities, providing targeted support for faculty and staff who are updating courses and learning activities to incorporate AI literacy, including the effective and ethical use of AI and teaching students to critically evaluate AI-generated content.

Mirzabeigi is an assistant professor in ESF’s Department of Sustainable Resources Management and coordinates the Sustainable and Resilient Built Environment Lab (SARBEL). Among the lab’s research interests are AI and machine learning (ML), sustainable construction, energy efficiency in the built environment, construction automation and robotics, and autonomous inspection and performance monitoring.

"Being named a SUNY AI for the Public Good Fellow is an incredible honor and reflects the growing importance of AI in advancing sustainable solutions,” said Mirzabeigi. “This fellowship is a unique opportunity to help shape how future generations engage with AI — critically, ethically, and effectively. I’m excited to support the integration of AI literacy into research and education and to ensure our work benefits both people and the planet."

“Dr. Mirzabeigi’s work at ESF exemplifies how artificial intelligence can advance sustainable solutions and serve the public good,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “We are proud to see ESF represented in this vital initiative shaping the future of AI in education and society.”

“As artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies are further ingrained in everything we do, SUNY is making sure every student has this essential core competency within our excellent academic curriculum,” said King. “We are all bombarded with information from all directions, with varying degrees of authenticity, and SUNY will equip every student with the skills to recognize what is true, and how to ethically use AI in their studies and in the world.”  

Earlier this year, ESF was among eight SUNY campuses to receive seed money to establish the Center for Artificial Intelligence, Society, and the Environment (AISE).  This initiative is led by doctors Sharon Moran and Josh Cousins from the Department of Environmental Studies.

SUNY updated its general education requirements for undergraduates to incorporate the skills to ethically use artificial intelligence into the existing information literacy core competency. This update, along with a new general education core competency in civil discourse, will be implemented by fall 2026. The inaugural class of SUNY AI for the Public Good Fellows will help ensure SUNY is well-equipped for the future of AI and help cement New York state as a leader in the technology.

 About SUNY ESF

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.