Department of Computer Science
Duke CS 2019 grad Joey Santoro founded the cryptocurrency startup Fei Protocol, a stablecoin in Ethereum native decentralized finance (DeFi). His participation in Duke Blockchain Lab as an undergrad no doubt influenced his innovation. Santoro said, “Being able to write code that’s immediately interoperable with dozens of financial protocols is the coolest thing ever.” Joey and his team recently conducted a multi-billion-dollar merger in DeFi, a huge milestone that sets a precedent for the potential of decentralized business… read more about Duke CS Grad Joey Santoro Founded Cryptocurrency Startup Fei Protocol »
Duke CS/Math Professor Bruce Donald's students use TikTok videos in his CS230 Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science class to illustrate complex mathematical and computer science concepts from Turing’s halting theory or computability to transcendental numbers. CS major Rhea Tejwani said, “In class, we were learning about a lot of big ideas and complex problems, so trying to compress them into a clear and concise 60-second video really helped me understand those topics.” The students'… read more about TikTok Videos Trend Math and CS Concepts in Bruce Donald's CS230 Class »
Duke Associate Professor of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, CS, Math, and Statistics Anru Zhang is the recipient of the 2022 Tweedie Award from the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. Recognized as a leading early career researcher in statistical science with this prominent and prestigious international award, Zhang will present the Tweedie New Researcher Invited Lecture at the upcoming 2022 IMS New Researchers Conference. Congratulations! read more about Anru Zhang wins Tweedie Award »
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Computer Science Bruce Donald, his students, and collaborators at the University of Connecticut discovered how a single mutation in MRSA has such a large impact on antibiotic resistance. Now they can use computational strategies to develop better drugs to fight Staph infections. read more about Bruce Donald and Collaborators Discover How a Single Small Mutation Makes a Big Difference in Drug Efficacy: New Research Article »
Duke ECE, Computer Science, BME, and Math Professor Guillermo Sapiro has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), among the highest professional honors to be accorded an engineer. He was recognized for 3 decades of transformative contributions to the theory and practice of imaging which have significantly affected a wide range of fields. Congratulations! read more about Guillermo Sapiro Elected a Member of the National Academy of Engineering »
Governor Roy Cooper honored Duke Computer Science Professors Dr. Shani Daily and Dr. Nicki Washington, among others as NC Black STEM leaders during Black History Month for their critical, innovative work focused on helping their communities. Cooper said that NC is a stronger state thanks to the contributions of many talented Black leaders in STEM fields and that "As we celebrate their achievements, we must also work to break down barriers." read more about NC Governor Honors Two Duke Faculty as Black Leaders in STEM: Duke CS Professors Dr. Shani Daily and Dr. Nicki Washington »
Duke Computer Science doctoral student Zhi Chen won an award in the Section on Physical and Engineering Sciences (SPES) and Quality and Productivity (Q&P) 2022 Student Paper Competition of the American Statistical Association. The paper was entitled "How to See Hidden Patterns in Metamaterials with Interpretable Machine Learning" and co-authors include Duke professors Cynthia Rudin and Cate Brinson, and Caltech collaborators Alexander Ogren and Professor Chiara Daraio. Zhi is advised by… read more about PhD student Zhi Chen wins SPES+Q&P Student Paper Award »
In January 2022, Duke CS PhD David Kotz was named provost at Dartmouth College, where he had been serving as interim provost. In addition to his administrative expertise, Kotz has published over 200 reviewed scientific research papers. He received an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth in computer science and physics, and has worked at Dartmouth since 1991. read more about Duke CS PhD David Kotz Named Provost at Dartmouth »
Duke University Distinguished Professor of New Technologies and Professor of Computer Science, Economics, and Philosophy Vincent Conitzer and coauthor Professor Tuomas Sandholm of CMU received the 2022 IFAAMAS Influential Paper Award for their highly-cited, seminal paper entitled "Computing the optimal strategy to commit to." Their paper set the basis for computing optimal leader strategies in security games, leading to impactful work with real-world applications and establishing a strong mechanism design… read more about Vincent Conitzer and Tuomas Sandholm receive the IFAAMAS Influential Paper Award 2022 »
Duke University's 3C (Cultural Competence in Computing) Fellows Program was awarded 2022 Program of the Year by The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity (CoNECD), an American Association of Engineering Education (ASEE)-affiliated conference. Director and Professor Nicki Washington, PhD; Professor Shaundra Daily, PhD; and PhD Student Cecilé Sadler will receive this award during the CoNECD 2022 conference in February. 3C Fellows is a… read more about CoNECD names Duke University's 3C Fellows Program of the Year »
Bruce Donald, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Math and Chemistry and professor of biochemistry, has received a five year, $2.9M Established Investigator Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) for computational and experimental studies of protein structure and design. “This project concentrates on two interlocking themes: protein structure and design,” says Donald. “The design of new therapeutics can alleviate… read more about Bruce Donald receives $3M Established Investigator MIRA award »
Duke’s Center for Computational Thinking (CCT) enables computational education by incorporating computer-related content into courses throughout the university. Duke Computer Science Chair Jun Yang says that exposure to computational thinking is important for all students “not just to prepare our students to survive in this new world, but to help them to lead.” read more about Computational Thinking is for Everyone »
Dr. Helen Li, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Duke University, has been named an ACM Fellow for her contributions to neuromorphic computing and deep-learning acceleration. As a fellow, Dr. Li joins a select group of the top 1% of ACM professional members recognized for their outstanding accomplishments in computing and information technology. ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest and most prestigious society of computing professionals. read more about Dr. Helen Li Named ACM Fellow »
The Graduate School's Senior Leadership Insights January 2022 video conversation featured Srinivasan (Chini) Krishnan (MS'91, PhD'92 Computer Science), founder and CEO of GetInsured.com. read more about Video Conversation with Duke CS Alum Chini Krishnan, Founder and CEO of GetInsured.com »
Two optional MS concentrations ‒ Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning and Cybersecurity ‒ are coming soon in Fall 2022! Please see MS Requirements for more information. read more about MS Concentrations Coming in Fall 2022 »
Three Duke Computer Science students received awards from the Computing Research Association (CRA) for Outstanding Undergraduate Research in 2022. Selected as a Runner-up, Norah Xinyu Tan worked on quantum computing/information theory, coding theory, and signal processing with Robert Calderbank and Jianfeng Lu. Awarded an Honorable Mention, Jerry Liu is interested in incorporating domain knowledge into black box deep learning methods, including work in computer vision and NLP with Cynthia Rudin. Also awarded an Honorable… read more about Duke CS Students Win 2022 CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards »
Duke Computer Science Professor Dr. Nicki Washington is developing a new formula for equality in the tech industry: Disrupting the policies, practices and points of view standing in the way of marginalized computer science students. What if we could use computer science to combat systemic racism? read more about An Algorithm for a Better World »
Duke CS and Physics major Yasa Baig received the prestigious Marshall Scholarship, awarded to exceptional American students to pursue graduate studies in the UK. Duke President Vincent Price said that "This great honor reflects [his] extraordinary contributions here on campus and beyond,” as well as his commitment to service, innovation, and principled leadership. Baig also received the Goldwater Scholarship earlier this year. Congratulations! read more about Yasa Baig Wins 2022 Marshall Scholarship »
Duke Computer Science, ECE, Statistics, and Biostats Professor Cynthia Rudin won the 2022 $1M Squirrel AI Award for Artificial Intelligence for the Benefit of Humanity from the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). This award recognizes Rudin for her “pioneering scientific work in the area of interpretable and transparent AI systems in real-world deployments, the advocacy for these features in highly sensitive areas such as social justice and medical diagnosis, and serving as a… read more about Cynthia Rudin Wins 2022 $1M AAAI Squirrel AI Award for the Benefit of Humanity »
Dr. Bing Xie, Duke CS PhD '17 (advisor Professor Jeff Chase) was selected by the IEEE Computer Society as a winner of the IEEE-CS Technical Consortium on High Performance Computing (TCHPC) Early Career Researchers Award for Excellence in High Performance Computing (HPC). This award recognizes her outstanding, influential, and potentially long-lasting HPC contributions. An HPC research scientist at Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Dr. Xie's computer… read more about Duke CS PhD '17 Dr. Bing Zie Wins 2021 IEEE-CS TCHPC Award »
Currently a Google Product Manager working on strategic crisis response for the Office of the CEO, Luke was a member of the Gerrymandering and the Extent of Democracy in America Bass Connections team prior to his graduation from Duke in 2019 with a CS/Neuroscience major. A Duke highlight was that his team had the opportunity to go to the Supreme Court and witness the justices cite the research that his team had dealt with for months, which was extremely rewarding and inspiring. read more about Luke Farrell, '19 CS/ Neuroscience on Working for the Google CEO's Office and Duke's Impact »
Ingrid Daubechies, Duke Distinguished Professor of Math and ECE was recently profiled in the NYT Magazine. Her pioneering study of mathematical structures known as wavelets facilitated the use of data compression in electronic apps like smartphones and MRI machines. She is also renowned as a barrier-breaking role model for successful female mathematicians. Duke CS, ECE, Statistics, and B&B Professor Cynthia Rudin calls her "the deus ex machina adviser" and Daubechies' partner is Duke CS… read more about Ingrid Daubechies: Godmother of the Digital Image and Duke Legend »
Duke recently received 2 large grants totaling almost $12 M from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) as part of its new Impact of Genomic Variation on Function (IGVF) Consortium. Duke Statistical Science, Math, and Computer Science Professor Sayan Mukherjee is among the leaders of the Duke Predictive Modeling Center. One of seven such centers, it recently received a $3.2 M award and will take the raw data generated in the Functional Characterization Centers and transform it into consumable… read more about Sayan Mukherjee is a Duke IGVF Predictive Modeling Center Leader »
Duke CS Assistant Professor Danyang Zhuo received an Amazon Research Award for his "Push-Button Verification of Software Middleboxes" research, which used software verification techniques to ensure the correctness of software middleboxes, such as NATs, firewalls, and load balancers. Zhuo and 25 other recipients from universities in 11 countries met rigorous criteria as to scientific content, creativity, and potential to impact both the research community and society. Award recipients have access to more… read more about Danyang Zhuo Receives Amazon Research Award »
Duke CS, Biochem, and ECE Associate Professor Alberto Bartesaghi's lab recently received a 4-year $1.3M grant from NIH to design computational tools to improve the resolution of cryo-electron tomography and extend its applicability to a wider class of biomedically relevant targets. The researchers' methods will help accelerate biomedical research, providing more opportunities for the development of new medical treatments. Dr. Bartesaghi said, "The new methods will allow, for the first time, the… read more about Bartesaghi Awarded $1.3M NIH Grant Over 4 Years »
Duke CS Professors Nicki Washington and Shani Daily received an NSF Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing Education (AIICE) Award @ $10M over 5 years for increasing equity and broadening participation in computing. Specifically, AIICE aims to increase the entry, retention, and course/degree completion rates of high-school and undergraduate students from groups that are historically underrepresented in computing through evidence-based, identity-inclusive interventions. Professor… read more about Nicki Washington and Shani Daily receive $10M NSF Alliance for Identity-Inclusive Computing Education Award »
NSF recently launched a $20M AI Research Institute at Duke, and Duke ECE and Computer Science Professor Yiran Chen is a leader of Athena, the NSF AI Institute for Edge Computing Leveraging Next-generation Networks. Duke’s institute will support a multi-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, statisticians, legal scholars, and psychologists from 7 universities. The institute aims to transform the design, operation, and service of future mobile systems and networks with AI. read more about The NSF Launches Artificial Intelligence Institute at Duke »
CS+, Data+ and Code+ undergraduate summer research programs will hold an online expo to showcase student projects leveraging big data, computer science, and mobile app and web development on Friday, August 6. More than 150 students total will participate. Join us as we celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of our students! read more about Duke CS+, Data+ and Code+ Summer 2021 Expo »
Duke CS-Public Policy Alumna Swathi Ramprasad was named an Eisenhower Global Scholar for her academic achievement, community involvement, and demonstrated leadership potential. The award provides funding for Ramprasad to attend Oxford University for a master’s degree. Her honors thesis on the demographic biases of bail-setting algorithms was awarded highest distinction, and she's the first Duke student to win this award. Congratulations! read more about Duke CS-Public Policy Alumna Swathi Ramprasad selected as an Eisenhower Global Scholar »
Duke Computer Science, Biochem and ECE associate professor Alberto Bartesaghi's team (cryoem.cs.duke.edu) recently received a $700K grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). They will develop cryo-EM software based on AI to sort out the shapes of individual proteins within the crowded interior of a cell, enabling knowledge about protein function and their interactions. read more about Alberto Bartesaghi's team receives a $700K grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to improve Cryo-EM Images »