Researchers Get $1M to Fight Opioid Trafficking

The plan is to design and develop new technologies to automate the analysis of internet data to provide investigative leads law enforcement to combat opioid trafficking.

Associated Press

Jan 28, 2019

Yanfang (Fanny) Ye, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering at West Virginia University, has been awarded a grant from the National Institute of Justice in support of her work to develop novel artificial intelligence techniques to combat the opioid epidemic and trafficking. The award comes with about $1 million in funding over a three-year period.

West Virginia University

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Researchers at West Virginia University will receive $1 million over three years to develop artificial intelligence technologies to fight opioid trafficking.

A statement from the school says the National Institute of Justice awarded the grant to Yanfang "Fanny" Ye, an assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering.

Ye says the project will focus on gaining insights into the online ecosystem of opioid trafficking.

As part of the grant, Ye will collaborate with Xin Li, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering.

Together, they will design and develop new technologies to automate the analysis of internet data to provide investigative leads law enforcement to combat opioid trafficking.