Recent News & Accomplishments
2025
A University of Maryland team was recently honored for impactful research uncovering global privacy risks in Wi-Fi-based Positioning Systems (WPS). Dave Levin , an associate professor of computer science, and Erik Rye, who earned his Ph.D. in computer science in May, received the prestigious 2025 Caspar Bowden Award for Outstanding Research in Privacy Enhancing Technologies. The award is named in memory of Caspar Bowden, a dedicated privacy advocate and former chief privacy adviser at Microsoft. It recognizes and celebrates research that embodies Bowden’s vision of safeguarding civil... read more
Students explored computer science research with support from faculty and graduate mentors.
The University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science will wrap up its 13th annual Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program this month, offering students from across the country a summer-long opportunity to engage in academic research alongside faculty and graduate mentors. The program, running from June 1 through August 15, features students working in small groups on research spanning a range of computer science fields, including algorithms, machine learning, AI and quantum computing. Participants were paired with faculty members and doctoral students to gain hands-on... read more
His research focuses on genome analysis through intelligent computing systems.
Assistant Professor Can Firtina will join the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science in the Fall of 2025, bringing expertise in bioinformatics and computer architecture. His work explores how intelligent computing systems can improve the speed and efficiency of genome analysis, particularly in time-sensitive or resource-constrained environments. Firtina expressed enthusiasm about his new role at the university, describing it as an opportunity to engage with students and collaborate with faculty across disciplines. “I am extremely excited and happy to join the department as an... read more
New funding supports interdisciplinary projects that aim to align AI innovation with human rights, education and public trust.
The Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society ( TRAILS ) has announced a third round of seed funding, offering substantial support to a series of projects intended to transform the practice of AI from one that is driven solely by technological development to one that encourages tech innovation and competitiveness through cutting-edge science focused on human rights and human flourishing. The seven seed grants announced on July 22, 2025—each between $50,000 to $150,000, totaling just over $750,000—were awarded to faculty and students from the University of Maryland, George Washington... read more
New tenure-track and professional-track faculty bring expertise in AI policy, robotics, data visualization and other areas.
The University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science will welcome eight new faculty members over the next year, expanding research and teaching capabilities across a range of disciplines. Their work spans natural language processing, bioinformatics, robotics, computer vision and sound design for interactive media. These appointments include tenure-track faculty joining in fall 2025 and 2026, as well as professional-track educators supporting instructional needs across computer science and immersive media. “We’re pleased to welcome these talented scholars to our department,” said... read more
His work explores how extended reality and sensory stimuli affect learning and cognition.
Logan Stevens , a Ph.D. student in the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. He is one of a select group of graduate students nationwide awarded this year as part of the 2025 cohort. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) provides three years of support over a five-year period to students pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or STEM education. The program is intended to help ensure the vitality of... read more
CS researchers Huaishu Peng and Jiasheng Li are developing AI-powered wearable technology to help blind professionals perceive nonverbal cues and strengthen workplace collaboration.
Nonverbal communication in the workplace—like a nod, hand gesture, or glance—is crucial for building trust and collaboration among co-workers. But for blind individuals, these subtle cues often go unnoticed, creating barriers to effective teamwork. Research underway at the University of Maryland and Cornell University could soon change that, with researchers from both institutions developing an embodied (wearable) AI system that can interpret and convey nonverbal signals in a way that strengthens communication and trust between blind and sighted individuals. The project—supported by two seed... read more
University of Maryland computer scientists share research on AI robustness, interpretability and human-AI interaction at the annual International Machine Learning Conference.
Researchers from the University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science are presenting 16 papers at the 42nd International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML 2025), which will take place from July 13 to 19 in Vancouver, Canada. Many of the participating UMD faculty—including Heng Huang , Dinesh Manocha , Ming Lin , Nirupam Roy , Han Shao , Sarah Wiegreffe , Yaodong Yu and Tianyi Zhou —collaborated with graduate students and external partners on the work being presented. Projects include both foundational machine learning methods and application-driven approaches. The work explores a... read more
Laxman Dhulipala, Justin Olav Wyss-Gallifent, Shaobo Cui, Christina Xu and Christian Nygard recognized for their instructional impact as faculty and teaching assistants in the 2024–25 academic year.
The University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science has announced the recipients of its 2024–25 teaching awards, honoring excellence across tenure-track, professional track and instructional assistant roles. This year’s awardees include Assistant Professor Laxman Dhulipala , Principal Lecturer Justin Olav Wyss-Gallifent , graduate teaching assistant Shaobo Cui , and undergraduate teaching assistants Christina Xu and Christian Nygard . The department presents these awards annually to recognize instructors, teaching assistants and STIC facilitators who make consistent contributions to... read more
CS Ph.D. student Alexander Frolov is honored for his research in zero-knowledge proofs and practical cryptographic systems.
A University of Maryland graduate student specializing in cryptography has been recognized for his outstanding academic achievements and research. Alexander “Sasha” Frolov, a first-year computer science doctoral student working in the Maryland Cybersecurity Center (MC2), has been named a 2025–26 scholar by the Metropolitan Washington Chapter of the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation. The $15,000 award honors exceptional graduate students pursuing degrees in science, engineering and biomedical research. Frolov, who previously worked as a software engineer on the... read more