Coding Their Own Way

Growing up as twins often means sharing more than a birthdate. It can mean synchronized routines, overlapping interests and milestones shaped by proximity and family rhythm. For Moshe and Yehuda Katz of Silver Spring, Maryland, that overlap extended to the University of Maryland, where weekend outreach events and college-level classes laid the foundation for futures in computer science.

From early campus experiences to earning Ph.D.s in the Department of Computer Science— Moshe (B.S. ’12, M.S. ’18, Ph.D. ’23, computer science) and Yehuda (B.S. ’12, M.S. ’23, Ph.D. ’24, computer science)—the brothers charted a path that was both shared and deeply individual. Their story reflects how early influence, independent decisions and a focus on learning can lead to diverging yet complementary careers.

Early Interest

The Katz twins were introduced to computing before they could spell it. One of their earliest memories involves a family computer brought home when they were around five years old.

“I remember teaching myself how to type just so I could launch games,” Moshe said. “You had to type in commands to get anything to run.”

They read user manuals, borrowed tech books from the Montgomery County Public Library and explored on their own. One book—Kermit [the Frog] Learns how Computers Work—left an impression. That early curiosity was reinforced by visits to the university’s outreach events like “Physics is Fun,” a hands-on evening program open to the public.

“It made science feel accessible,” Yehuda said. “We didn’t think of it as something reserved for experts.”

Later, in high school, they enrolled in Principal Lecturer Nelson Padua-Perez's Passport Program, a university pipeline initiative that allowed local students to take CMSC131, an introductory programming course. The experience helped solidify their academic direction.

Studying Abroad, Separately Together 

After high school, the brothers were admitted to UMD, but each opted to defer enrollment to study abroad—unintentionally coordinating again when they independently applied to extend their deferrals by another year.

“The admissions office thought one of us copied the letter,” Moshe said. “But we had each written it separately with input from our dad. They were just eerily similar.”

By the time they returned to campus and began their undergraduate studies, they already felt grounded. They had taken classes through Passport, knew their way around and understood the department’s expectations.

Intentional Independence

Even as graduate students in the same department, they maintained space. When assigned research desks, they requested different rooms to preserve focus and reduce overlap.

“We specifically asked to be placed apart,” Moshe said. “We knew it would help us stay on track without falling into familiar patterns.”

By the time they moved into the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering and joined Agrawala’s research group, they had already established distinct interests and workflows. Moshe focused on software-defined software, while Yehuda explored system security and performance.

“We had enough of our own momentum at that point,” Moshe said. “It wasn’t an issue anymore.”

Mentorship

The Katz brothers made a habit of visiting faculty during office hours or simply stopping by if a door was open. Moshe recalled the impact of CMSC330, a programming languages course taught by the late Professor Rance Cleveland.

“It was his first time teaching the course,” Moshe said. “Watching him think through material live during lectures showed me what real academic engagement looks like. It made me want to go deeper.”

That deeper involvement led both brothers to research, sometimes under the same faculty members, including Professors V. S. Subrahmanian and Ashok Agrawala. But they deliberately pursued different projects to build separate trajectories.

Campus Impact

Both brothers point to their time at UMD as formative. For Moshe, a job interview once stemmed from a university solar energy project. During the interview, one manager was so interested that he brought in additional colleagues mid-conversation.

“I had an offer by the time I got home,” Moshe said. “I didn’t take it—I stayed in school—but that came directly from work I did at UMD.”

They credit the university not just for coursework, but for offering an environment where exploration was encouraged.

“The people, the access to knowledge—it’s not something you find easily elsewhere,” Moshe said.

Different Directions

Moshe now works at SaferMobility, a startup co-founded by Agrawala, where he combines technical leadership with mentorship. He guides younger engineers, many of them recent grads.

“I don’t give formal lectures,” he said. “But I try to show them how to think through problems the way we were taught to in grad school.”

Yehuda, meanwhile, works for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Service, where he focuses on aligning legacy government systems with modern security and software engineering practices.

“Government systems aren’t built for rapid change,” Yehuda said. “There’s a real challenge in implementing improvements that will last.”

He initially considered staying in academia but found that he preferred applied work and education—especially helping others understand how systems function and fail.

“In grad school, I struggled to place interdisciplinary work into traditional publishing buckets,” he said. “Now I work on real-world problems that don’t fit neatly anywhere either—but that need solving.”

Looking Ahead

Now in different sectors, the brothers remain connected by values shaped during their time at the Department of Computer Science. Moshe continues at his startup, while Yehuda is focused on helping public systems evolve and is exploring future possibilities in teaching.

“I’m not ruling out a return to research,” Yehuda said. “But for now, I’m helping teams navigate complex problems in ways that make a difference.”

For Moshe, informal teaching remains part of his everyday work.

“Even without a classroom,” he said, “there’s a way to teach by example.”

Though their careers have taken separate paths, the Katz brothers continue to build on a shared foundation—one rooted in early curiosity, a commitment to learning and a campus that encouraged them to explore both together and apart.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications