Computer Science News

Victor Veitch, First UChicago Data Science Faculty, Builds “Safe and Credible” AI Systems

April 27, 2021

Victor Veitch, a new assistant professor in the Department of Statistics and the first faculty hire in the University of Chicago’s new data science initiative, combines causal inference and machine learning to build AI systems that align with human values.

Globus Helps Preserve Legacy of Collapsed Arecibo Telescope

April 22, 2021

Globus, the research data management service run by researchers at the University of Chicago, assisted in the transfer and preservation of petabytes of data from the collapsed Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico.

Your Unique Muscle Response Could Become a New Approach to Digital Authentication

April 15, 2021

ElectricAuth is a novel technique for user authentication that takes advantage of an individual’s unique response to stimuli. By providing a variety of gentle electrical stimuli to the muscles of the forearm and measuring the resulting finger movements, users can be robustly and uniquely identified.

CDAC Discovery Challenge Awardees Train Data Science on Medicine, Clean Water, and Education

April 09, 2021

Several UChicago CS faculty are part of four new projects that will build interdisciplinary partnerships, open source software, and tools that enable major new data science advances against difficult real-world problems.

With CAREER Award, Asst. Prof. Pedro Lopes Explores Human-Computer Integration

April 05, 2021

A new NSF CAREER grant will help Assistant Professor Pedro Lopes explore the next phase of human-computer integration, inventing and testing wearable technologies that interface with smell, touch, temperature, and other senses.

Prof. Rebecca Willett Named SIAM Fellow

March 31, 2021

Willett was one of 28 scholars named in the 2021 class of fellows by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM for their exemplary research as well as outstanding service to the community.

Public Interest Technology Grant Funds and Expands CS/Harris Civic Data & Technology Clinic

March 26, 2021

A new grant from the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) will support and expand the Civic Data & Technology Clinic, a new University of Chicago program that pairs student data scientists with non-profit organizations working on social and economic justice, sustainability, and climate change.

New Asst. Prof. Chenhao Tan Explores The Future of Human-Centered AI

February 16, 2021

Chenhao Tan, an expert in natural language processing, computational social science, and artificial intelligence who joined UChicago CS in January, focuses on human-centered AI, asking not only what AI can do, but also what AI should do for people. 

C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute Announces CFP to Advance AI for Energy and Climate Security

February 02, 2021

The C3.ai Digital Transformation Institute, which includes UChicago as a founding academic partner, seeks new proposals to address the challenge of re-envisioning energy systems with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation.

Marshini Chetty Receives CAREER Award to Study Educational Technology Privacy

February 01, 2021

With a new five-year NSF CAREER grant, UChicago CS assistant professor Marshini Chetty will conduct a large scale study on educational technologies used by primary and middle school students, using approaches from human computer interaction (HCI) such as user-centered design.

Quantum Compiler Co-Created by Robert Rand Named Distinguished Paper at POPL 21

January 21, 2021

A new quantum compiler co-developed by UChicago CS Assistant Professor Robert Rand received one of seven Distinguished Paper awards this month at the 2021 Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages (POPL), one of the top conferences in programming languages research.

UChicago CS Professor Rick Stevens Named ACM Fellow

January 16, 2021

Professor Rick Stevens was named a Fellow of the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM), in recognition of his contributions to high-performance computing, collaborative environments, and tools for large-scale science initiatives.

Ravi Chugh Promoted to Associate Professor at UChicago Computer Science

January 06, 2021

Ravi Chugh, who studies, teaches, and builds new programming languages and systems that draw upon software engineering and human-computer interaction, has been promoted to associate professor at UChicago CS.

Asst. Prof. Bill Fefferman Receives NSF CAREER Award To Find Quantum Computing’s Icebreaker

December 30, 2020

Fefferman received the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious grant for early-career faculty to search for the unique talents that even today’s imperfect quantum computers can do better than their classical counterparts.

Postdoctoral Researcher Jun Nishida Receives PSD Suzuki Award

December 22, 2020

Jun Nishida, a researcher in the Human Computer Integration Lab led by Assistant Professor Pedro Lopes, received one of the 2020-2021 Suzuki Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards presented annually by the University of Chicago Physical Sciences Division.

New Clinic Leverages Data Science for Social and Environmental Causes

December 17, 2020

The inaugural Civic Data and Technology Clinic, funded by the 11th Hour Project and co-organized by CDAC and the Masters in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MS-CAPP), connected 13 students with three organizations working in social and economic justice, sustainability, and climate change.

Wired Covers Nightmare Prevention App Created by UChicago CS Student

December 02, 2020

An app created by UChicago CS PhD student Tyler Skluzacek to interrupt PTSD-related nightmares recently received FDA approval and an article in Wired magazine on the story behind its development.

South African Roots, Travel Shape Computer Scientist’s Research

December 01, 2020

A new profile by Katrina Miller for the Physical Sciences Division website profiles UChicago CS assistant professor Marshini Chetty, charting her path from South Africa to Chicago and how she chose the field of human-computer interaction.

UChicago CS Alums Go On To Exciting Futures in Academia, Industry, and Startups

November 24, 2020

PhD and postdoctoral alums of UChicago CS describe their new positions at universities around the United States, innovative new startups, and global tech giants, and offer advice to current and incoming students.

Prof. Nick Feamster Argues For Better Internet Speed Tests in CACM

November 20, 2020

In Communications of the ACM, Professor Nick Feamster provides an overview of how existing speed tests operate and explain why the future Internet will need entirely new types Internet speed tests that can do more than simply measure the speed of the ISP.

New Asst. Prof. Robert Rand Writes the Language of Tomorrow’s Quantum Computers

November 17, 2020

Robert Rand is part of the small but growing community of researchers creating programming languages to realize the immense promise of quantum computing, developing new languages, compilers, and verification methods.

Globus Celebrates Ten Years of Connecting the Research Universe

November 10, 2020

Globus, a research data management platform developed and operated by the University of Chicago, has become an essential service for over 150,000 global researchers and today's largest scientific agencies and experiments.

New Assistant Professor Sarah Sebo Wants to Build Better Robot Teammates

October 26, 2020

Sarah Sebo, who joined UChicago CS this fall as an assistant professor, studies how robots can encourage the humans around them to act in ways that are more inclusive, helpful, and productive.

Why TIPP&SEE Works: CANON Lab Research Wins Best Paper at CS Education Conference

October 15, 2020

A study exploring why the computer learning strategy TIPP&SEE is effective for teaching elementary students computational thinking won a Best Paper award at the 2020 International Computing Education Research (ICER) conference.

David Uminsky Brings Data Science Education Experience to UChicago Initiatives

October 12, 2020

David Uminsky, executive director of the UChicago data science initiative, comes to UChicago with deep experience and expertise in founding and building academic programs and connecting with industry, non-profits, and government.

Globus Reaches One Exabyte Milestone in Research Data Management

October 08, 2020

Globus, a research data management service based at the University of Chicago, passed the exabyte barrier in early October, sharing over a billion billion bytes of data that accelerates scientific research and discovery.

UChicago CS Fall Speaker Series Features Human-Computer Interaction Luminaries

October 05, 2020

The UChicago CS Distinguished Lecture Series for Fall 2020 puts the spotlight on human-computer interaction, inviting leaders of the field to talk about their groundbreaking work and meet students and faculty.

A New Grasp on Empathy: UChicago CS HandMorph Project Uses Tech to Simulate Children’s Experience

October 01, 2020

A project from postdoctoral researcher Jun Nishida and the Human Computer Integration Lab of Assistant Professor Pedro Lopes that built a wearable exoskeleton to simulate the hand of a child received the Best Paper Award from the 2020 UIST Conference.

“Bracelet of Silence” Named Finalist in 2020 Fast Company Design Awards

September 30, 2020

A wearable microphone jammer developed by UChicago CS researchers to protect user privacy near smart devices was named a finalist in Fast Company's 2020 Innovation By Design Awards.

New Data Stations Project Creates Architecture, Marketplace for Sharing Data

September 18, 2020

Data Stations, a new project from University of Chicago researchers, creates a new data architecture that enables sharing datasets for research while protecting sensitive information and intellectual property.

Department Manager Nita Yack Featured in PSD Spotlight

September 18, 2020

Nita Yack, Manager of the Department of Computer Science, was featured by the Physical Sciences Division as their Spotlight employee for September 2020. She received several nominations as the "keystone" of the department.

UChicago Joins Three Universities in Institute for Foundational Data Science

September 01, 2020

Professor Rebecca Willett of UChicago CS and Statistics, along with Rina Foygel Barber and Mary Silber from Statistics, will help the four-university collaboration establish the maturing field of data science while also advancing machine learning and other artificial intelligence approaches.

Prof. Fred Chong Named to National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee

August 31, 2020

Professor Fred Chong was named as an inaugural member of the new National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC), which will advise the U.S. government on funding quantum research as part of the National Quantum Initiative.

Data Load Migration Could Boost Renewable Energy Use, UChicago/UCSB Study Finds

August 25, 2020

A new paper by Prof. Andrew A. Chien and researchers from University of California, Santa Barbara finds that shifting data center load to areas with excess clean energy could reduce carbon emissions and save money.

Cloud Computing Testbed Chameleon Launches Third Phase with Focus on IoT and Reproducibility

August 14, 2020

A new $10 million NSF grant will fund the next four years of Chameleon, an experimental cloud computing testbed led by the University of Chicago and Kate Keahey, Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering (CASE) Senior Scientist affiliated with University of Chicago CS.

University of Chicago and UIUC Lead New Quantum Education Program

August 05, 2020

Prof. Diana Franklin will co-lead a new NSF program to support quantum education, including a website called Q2Work that will gather learning resources and opportunities for outreach, internships, and careers.

UChicago Researchers Receive Grants to Apply Computational Techniques to COVID Fight

July 17, 2020

The c3.ai Digital Transformation Institute awarded grants to three new projects with University of Chicago researchers — including UChicago CS Asst. Prof. Yuxin Chen — that will use computational approaches to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chicago Quantum Exchange Adds New Partners in Tech, Computing and Finance

July 09, 2020

The Chicago Quantum Exchange added several new industry partners including two companies, Intel and Rigetti Computing, that have active collaborations with UChicago CS Professor Fred Chong and his EPiQC research partnership.

Asst. Prof. Bill Fefferman Comments on New “Quantum Advantage” Research

July 06, 2020

UChicago CS Assistant Professor Bill Fefferman wrote an invited perspective piece for Nature Physics on a new paper that demonstrated "quantum advantage" — proving that a quantum algorithm can out-perform a similar-scale classical approach.

New Project Seeks Greener Computing By Granting Equipment “Second Life”

June 26, 2020

A new project led by Professor Andrew A. Chien examines how moving retired computational resources near wind and solar energy farms could help realize a vision of greener large-scale computing.

2020 CDAC Summer Lab Kicks Off with 38 Student Researchers

June 20, 2020

The 2020 Center for Data and Computing Summer Lab is the biggest edition yet, with 38 undergraduate and high school students from around the world studying applied machine learning and AI, human-computer interaction, computational social science, systems, and much more with mentors from UChicago CS and other units.

Q&A: Asst. Prof. Blase Ur on Contact Tracing Tech and Privacy

May 21, 2020

UChicago News talks to Neubauer Family Assistant Professor Blase Ur, a University of Chicago expert on human-computer interaction and user-centered security and privacy, about how contact tracing tech works and whether the privacy fears are valid or outweighed by the benefits.

Prof. Diana Franklin Co-Lead Writer of NSF Report on Key Concepts for Quantum Education

May 20, 2020

A new report co-written by UChicago CS associate professor Diana Franklin highlights key concepts for teaching the fundamentals of quantum information sciences to pre-college students.

NSF Grant Backs funcX — A Smart, Automated Delegator for Computational Research

May 14, 2020

A $3.1 million NSF grant will create funcX, a new distributed “function-as-a-service” (FaaS) platform that makes it easier for scientists to easily and automatically delegate their computational workload to different resources.

New AI + Science Grants Fund Projects & Workshops in Chemistry, Physics, and CS Education

May 12, 2020

The second round of AI + Science grants awarded by UChicago’s Office of Research and National Laboratories Joint Task Force Initiative supports new AI applications to boost scientific discovery and education.

CQE IBM Postdoc Program Trains Next-Generation Quantum Workforce with Industry

May 07, 2020

Kate Smith, a postdoctoral researcher in the research group of UChicago CS Professor Fred Chong, talks about her experience with the Chicago Quantum Exchange’s IBM Postdoctoral Trainees Program, which educates the next generation of quantum scientists.

CS/Math Professor Alexander Razborov Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 28, 2020

Alexander Razborov, the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor in the Departments of Computer Science and Mathematics, was elected as part of the 2020 class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Asst. Prof. Blase Ur Comments on Contact Tracing Tech for Chicago Tonight

April 25, 2020

Neubauer Family Assistant Professor Blase Ur joined WTTW's news program (remotely) to explain the COVID-19 contact tracing technologies proposed by Apple and Google and discuss the privacy concerns and limitations of the approach.

EPiQC-Related Startup Joins Argonne Incubator, Named Innovation Fund Finalist

April 20, 2020

Super.tech, a quantum computing startup founded by UChicago CS PhD student Pranav Gokhale and advised by Professor Fred Chong, was named to the Argonne Chain Reaction Innovations incubator program and made the finals of the George Shultz Innovation Fund, a program run by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MSCAPP) Celebrates Five Years

April 06, 2020

A new feature from the Harris School of Public Policy looks at the first five years of the Masters of Science in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (CAPP), offered jointly by Harris and the University of Chicago Department of Computer Science.

Student Videos Showcase Outputs of New Inclusive Technology Course

April 02, 2020

The new UChicago CS course Inclusive Technology: Design for Underserved and Marginalized Communities used the tools of human-computer interaction — including psychology, design, ethics, and computer science — to create accessible tools that diminish rather than deepen existing inequities.

Leading CS Ed Conference Features Five Papers from UChicago CANON Research Group

March 25, 2020

Five papers from the Computing for ANyONe (CANON) Lab led by Associate Professor Diana Franklin were featured at SIGCSE, the world's largest conference for researchers and educators studying new ways of improving computer science curricula and instruction.

An Automated Menu for LHC Data and the Search for Dark Matter

March 18, 2020

With a Center for Data and Computing Discovery Grant, physicist David Miller and computer scientist Yuxin Chen hope to build a "self-driving" system for selecting and analyzing data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Regional Nuclear Conflict Would Trigger Global Food Shortages, Finds UChicago/NASA Postdoc

March 16, 2020

A new study combining climate, agriculture and economic models finds that the repercussions of a regional nuclear conflict would extend around the world, producing a decade of global cooling and a severe decline in crop production that would compromise global food security. 

“Meet a UChicagoan” Series Features Borja Sotomayor

March 03, 2020

From geeky t-shirts to squirrel cams to Hack Night, Borja Sotomayor is a familiar figure to many on the UChicago campus. A new edition of Meet a UChicagoan profiles the senior lecturer and director of the Master's Program in Computer Science, and speaks with him about why he loves the university and working with students.

CS Education Expert Diana Franklin Promoted to Associate Professor

February 27, 2020

Diana Franklin, a leading researcher and creator of computer science curricula, was promoted to Associate Professor at the UChicago Department of Computer Science. Franklin has developed new approaches for teaching computer science concepts to students from pre-kindergarten through college and studied the effectiveness of these curricula in diverse and underrepresented populations.

Ancient Language Processing: Teaching Computers to Read Cuneiform Tablets

February 13, 2020

A CDAC-funded collaboration between researchers from the UChicago Oriental Institute and the Department of Computer Science applies modern computer vision approaches to read ancient cuneiform tablets.

NeurIPS Paper by Asst. Prof. Eric Jonas Delegates Spectroscopy to the Machines

February 04, 2020

UChicago Postdoc Co-Authors Study on Feeding 10 Billion Without Wrecking the Planet

January 20, 2020

A study including UChicago CS postdoctoral researcher Jonas Jägermeyr deploys computer modeling and simulation to suggest a comprehensive solution for feeding 10 billion people within our planet’s environmental boundaries. 

Assistant Professor Lorenzo Orecchia Receives NSF CAREER Award

January 14, 2020

UChicago CS assistant professor Lorenzo Orecchia received the NSF CAREER award, the prestigious honor supporting early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education.

EPiQC Researchers Simulate 61-Bit Quantum Computer With Data Compression

January 13, 2020

Researchers at the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory significantly reduced the gap between quantum computers and simulators by using data compression and a large supercomputer to conduct a 61-qubit simulations of a quantum search algorithm.

Chien Group Receives Best Paper at Workshop on Serverless Computing

January 09, 2020

Research by UChicago CS graduate students Hai Duc Nguyen, Chaojie Zhang, Zhujun Xiao, and Professor Andrew Chien received the Best Paper award at the Fifth International Workshop on Serverless Computing.

CDAC Announces Autumn 2019 Discovery Grant Projects

January 06, 2020

The Center for Data and Computing announced its Autumn 2019 class of Discovery Grants, funding eight projects and one convening that bridge disciplines and push forward the frontiers of data science and artificial intelligence.

Stuart A. Kurtz Receives Named Professorship

January 02, 2020

Kurtz was named the George and Elizabeth Yovovich Professor in the Department of Computer Science and the College, among 22 UChicago faculty receiving named or distinguished service titles in late 2019.

CS Associate Member Monisha Ghosh Named FCC Chief Technology Officer

December 23, 2019

Monisha Ghosh, an associate member of the Department of Computer Science and Research Professor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, was named Chief Technology Officer of the Federal Communications Commission.

New Assistant Professor Raul Castro Fernandez Creates Tools for Data Discovery

December 18, 2019

New UChicago CS assistant professor Raul Castro Fernandez builds tools to make data discovery easier for all, creating systems that help users and organizations locate the data they need, combine data across different formats, and process it for use in predictive analytics, machine learning, and other applications.

New Assistant Professor Lorenzo Orecchia Brings New Algorithms to Machine Learning and Graph Networks

December 10, 2019

Lorenzo Orecchia, an assistant professor of computer science who joined UChicago CS this fall, draws upon first order methods, the mathematical family that includes gradient descent and similar approaches, to create more powerful algorithms for the future of artificial intelligence, distributed computing, logistics, and other advanced computational tasks.

UChicago Startup Tharzen Demystifies Website Content Management

December 06, 2019

Tharzen, a new startup co-founded by UChicago CS postdoctoral researcher Mikael Mayer, provides tools for businesses to edit and update their websites, and will compete as a finalist in Polsky's George Schultz Innovation Fund competition.

New Concurrency Bug Approach From Shan Lu’s Group Wins Best Paper at SOSP

November 21, 2019

A paper from Prof. Shan Lu's group at UChicago CS with co-authors from Microsoft Research and University of California, Berkeley, revealed a new approach that captured thousands of concurrency bugs and won the Best Paper award at the prestigious ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles (SOSP) conference.

New Asst. Prof. Bill Fefferman Blazes Theory Path for Future of Quantum Computing

November 18, 2019

Fefferman, a new assistant professor in the University of Chicago Department of Computer Science, develops theoretical methods for assessing 'quantum supremacy' and controlling the noise of near-term quantum computers, helping to realize the potential for simulating quantum mechanical systems in physics, chemistry, and materials science.

UChicago Research Finds External Attackers Can Use IoT Devices as Motion Sensors

November 12, 2019

A new study from UChicago CS researchers finds that external attackers can use inexpensive technology to turn ambient wi-fi signals into motion detectors, monitoring activity inside a building without being detected themselves. The research, led by Professors Heather Zheng and Ben Zhao and accepted for the Network and Distributed Systems Security (NDSS) symposium in February, reveals the technique of these attacks as well as potential defenses.

Professors Shan Lu and Heather Zheng Named ACM Distinguished Members

November 06, 2019

Professor Shan Lu and Neubauer Professor Heather Zheng, were among 62 people named as Distinguished Members by the Association for Computing Machinery in 2019. The selection recognizes significant achievements in the computing field, and both Lu and Zheng were honored for outstanding scientific contributions to computing.

Steve Tuecke (1967 - 2019)

November 04, 2019

Prof. Diana Franklin Part of $4 Million Collaboration to Combine English, Computational Literacy

October 31, 2019

A $4 million grant from the Department of Education funded a collaboration between the University of California, Irvine, University of Chicago, and public schools in Santa Ana, San Francisco, and Chicago to develop, pilot, and implement a new curriculum that combines computer and English literacy.

Prof. Nick Feamster Discusses Facebook Content Moderation on Chicago Tonight

October 29, 2019

Professor Nick Feamster joined WTTW’s Chicago Tonight to talk about the whether the government should regulate how social media platforms moderate content on their sites, and the technical challenges for companies like Facebook and Twitter in monitoring and removing offensive or misleading content.

New UChicago CS Asst. Prof. Yuxin Chen Turns AI Into an Active Learner and Teacher

October 24, 2019

New Assistant Professor Yuxin Chen specializes in "interactive machine learning," the development of AI systems that continually seek out new data to further improve their performance. Chen has applied this approach in collaborations with computational biologists, neuroscientists, mechanical engineers, and physicists, developing new theories and algorithms for discovery and analysis.

Cosmos Boekell Comes Full Circle to Lead CS Instructional Laboratory (CSIL)

October 23, 2019

Cosmos Boekell, the new director of the Computer Science Instructional Laboratory (CSIL), returns to the department 20 years after serving as a CSIL tutor, with big plans for expanding the laboratory's offerings and collaboration with neighbors in the Media Arts, Data and Design Center.

Prof. Ian Foster Named SC Distinguished Scientist Fellow by Department of Energy

October 17, 2019

UChicago CS Professor Ian Foster was named a named a 2019 SC Distinguished Scientist Fellow for ​“pioneering work in distributed and high-performance computing with fundamental and long-lasting impacts on both computer science as a discipline and the practice of computing across the Office of Science.”