Inside IFM's Foundation Model Stack @ Stanford

​Technical Talk · Hands-On Workshop · Dinner & Networking

​🎓 For Stanford undergrads, MS/PhD students, researchers, and technical builders.

​IFM's first event at Stanford. One evening with the researchers building the foundation models behind MBZUAI's frontier work — and get a chance to build with them.

​🧠 What To Expect

​We're bringing Hector Liu (Director, IFM Silicon Valley Lab) and Zihan Liu (Technical Lead, PAN World Model) to Stanford for a research deep dive, a fireside on how frontier models move from lab to deployment, and a hands-on workshop where you'll get to play with PAN — IFM's world model — live.

​Then dinner, recruiting conversations, and community.

​🎯 Why Come

​🔬 Go deep on the research behind the K2 series of foundation models

​🛠️ Build hands-on with PAN, IFM's world model platform

​💬 Direct face time with IFM's SV Lab director and PAN technical lead

​💼 Recruiting conversations — IFM is hiring across research and engineering (internships, research tracks, and full-time roles)

​🍽️ Dinner, swag, and giveaways for top Q&A questions

​🗓️ Agenda

5:00 – 5:30 PM
Check-in & swag

5:30 – 5:45 PM
Opening Remarks: Inside IFM’s Foundation Model Stack
Hector Liu, Director, IFM Silicon Valley Lab

5:45 – 6:30 PM
Panel: Research to Real Systems
Hector Liu + Stanford speakers
Q&A included

6:30 – 7:00 PM
Live Demo: Dive into IFM’s PAN World Model
Q&A included

7:00 – 7:30 PM
Hands-On Workshop: Play with PAN World Model

7:30 – 8:00 PM
Dinner, Networking & Open Discussion

​🏛️ Hosted at Stanford

​EVGR C 134 Theater Room — Stanford University

​🎟️ Capacity: 75–120 attendees · RSVP required · Limited spots, register early

​🎁 Swag

​AI Valley + MBZUAI × IFM stickers — for all attendees

​IFM T-shirts — for attendees who join the MBZUAI × Stanford WhatsApp community
https://chat.whatsapp.com/Klf3udLhQAtAgOOVPgEJok?mode=gi_t

​IFM backpacks — reserved for the first six Q&A questions

​🤝 Co-Hosts

​​Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) at MBZUAI — Research center at the world's first graduate university dedicated exclusively to AI, with labs in Abu Dhabi, Silicon Valley, and Paris. Develops open language, multimodal, reasoning, and world models.

AI Valley — 8,000-member Bay Area AI builder community running curated hackathons and technical events. Past sponsors: OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, AWS, Netflix, Vercel, HRT, AGI House.

​Stanford SESE — campus co-host and partner.

​📩 Questions? community@aivalley.io

AI Valley is a community for exceptional first-generation builders, founders, and creators. We curate high-signal hackathons, workshops, and gatherings where ambitious people find collaborators, mentors, and real opportunities. If you care about who you build with as much as what you build, this is your place.

🌐 Website: https://aivalley.io

📅 Events: https://lu.ma/aivalley

👥 Community (Discord): https://discord.gg/QESCnSUPC9

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