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Advancements in materials discovery tend to rely disproportionately on happenstance and luck rather than employing a systematic approach. Recently, advances in computational power have allowed researchers to build computer models to predict the material properties of any chemical formula. From energy minimization techniques to machine learning-based models, these algorithms have unique strengths and weaknesses. However, a computational model is only as good as its accuracy when compared to real-world measurements. In this work, we take two recommendations from a thermoelectric machine learning model, TaVO[Formula: see text] and GdTaO[Formula: see text], and measure their thermoelectric properties of Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductivity, and electrical conductivity. We see that the predictions are mixed; thermal conductivities are correctly predicted, while electrical conductivities and Seebeck coefficients are not. Furthermore, we explore TaVO[Formula: see text]’s unusually low thermal conductivity of 1.2 Wm[Formula: see text]K[Formula: see text], and we discover a possible new avenue of research of a low thermal conductivity oxide family. 

Prompted by limited available data, we explore data-aggregation strategies for material datasets, aiming to boost machine learning performance. Our findings suggest that intuitive aggregation schemes are ineffective in enhancing predictive accuracy. 

Diffusion Models outperform Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and Wasserstein GANs in material discovery.