Department of Computer Science
Duke Computer Science Professor Ashwin Machanavajjhala and coauthor Daniel Kifer of Penn State University received the 2021 ACM SIGMOD Test-of-Time Award for their "foundational paper on data privacy" entitled No free lunch in data privacy. Seminal ideas from the paper are being used to quantify the privacy ensured by the 2020 Decennial Census to US citizens. Congratulations! read more about Ashwin Machanavajjhala and Dan Kifer Win 2021 ACM SIGMOD Test-of-Time Award »
Duke Math/Comp Sci major Norah Tan recently received a Faculty Scholars Award, Duke faculty's highest honor bestowed on undergrads. It honors students for innovative, independent research and scholarship. Tan's research included working on a project with Duke CS Professor Robert Calderbank to identify an original and elegant research solution to a problem in quantum benchmarking, now documented in a journal-submitted paper. Only two other Duke students received this prestigious award. Congratulations! read more about Math/Computer Science Major Norah Tan Named Faculty Scholar for Outstanding Research »
Duke Computer Science PhD student Hanrui Zhang was recognized as a Finalist in the 2021 Facebook Fellowship Program, which encourages and supports promising doctoral students in research related to computer science and engineering. Of the 2,163 worldwide applicants, only 26 were selected as Facebook fellows, with Finalists among the top 5%. Advised by Professor Vincent Conitzer, Hanrui is a PhD candidate whose research focuses on Economics and Computation. Zhang also won the ESA 2020 best student paper award. read more about Duke CS Grad Student Hanrui Zhang named Facebook Fellowship Finalist »
Celebrate our graduates with us! Enjoy the Sunday May 2 virtual commencement on live stream video, plus special features like distinguished Duke CS alumni recordings, faculty messages, and more. Congratulations to all! read more about Duke Computer Science Celebrates the Class of 2021 »
Professor of the Practice of Computer Science Nicki Washington will be the keynote speaker at AfroPix 2021 on Saturday, April 17. Hosted by Black in Technology -BiT, this inclusive virtual symposium features workshops, alumni panel discussions, networking with top tech companies, and more. Don't miss it! read more about Nicki Washington is the Keynote Speaker at AfroPix 2021 »
Duke Computer Science Professor Robert Calderbank was selected as a 2021 SIAM Fellow, one of the highest honors of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. This distinction recognizes Calderbank's deep contributions to information theory, in addition to his exemplary research and outstanding service to the community. Congratulations! read more about Robert Calderbank Named SIAM Fellow »
Anish Karpurapu and Yasa Baig, junior Computer Science majors at Duke University, were named 2021 Goldwater Scholars by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. This is a prestigious national award for undergraduates in the fields of mathematics, natural science, and engineering. Congratulations! read more about Duke Computer Science undergraduates win prestigious Goldwater Scholarships »
Recent Duke CS PhD Yuan Deng won an honorable mention for the 2020 Victor Lesser Distinguished Dissertation Award. The AAMAS (International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems) recognizes his thesis “Dynamic Mechanism Design in Complex Environments” for its originality, depth, impact, and written quality. Supervised by Professor Vincent Conitzer, he also received the department's outstanding dissertation award. Dr. Deng is now a Research Scientist in the Market Algorithms… read more about Recent Duke CS PhD Yuan Deng won an honorable mention for the Victor Lesser Dissertation Award »
Duke Computer Science Professor Vincent Conitzer is the winner of the 2021 ACM/SIGAI Autonomous Agents Research Award, which acknowledges the contributions of outstanding researchers in the field of autonomous agents, and recognizes excellence in work that influences and sets the direction for the field. Among other factors, Conitzer's highly cited work in multi-agent systems spans interdisciplinary areas in game theory, social choice, and economics. Conitzer will present a plenary talk at the AAMAS 2021… read more about Conitzer is Winner of 2021 ACM/SIGAI Autonomous Agents Research Award »
In this new video, Duke Computer Science Professor Alvin Lebeck answers questions about Phitonex, an innovative startup company that he co-founded. Crediting both the Phitonex team and Duke University, Lebeck states that "The foundational research behind the technology was performed at Duke over a span of about 17 years." Phitonex pioneered a spectral dye platform for high-resolution biology applications to accelerate research and development in cell therapy, immuno-oncology and immunology research, and the… read more about The Phitonex Journey »
Duke University's new Cultural Competence in Computing (3C) professional development program welcomed 144 fellows to its inaugural cohort. With Duke CS Professor Nicki Washington as director, in collaboration with ECE/CS Professor Shani Daily and ECE grad student Cecilé Sadler, the program provides expert training in identity-inclusive topics to improve computing diversity, equity and inclusion. read more about Cultural Competence in Computing (3C) Fellows »
Vince Conitzer was appointed for a leading role with the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University as the Institute’s Head of Technical AI Engagement and Professor of Computer Science and Philosophy. He’ll continue teaching and researching here at Duke. Congratulations! read more about Vince Conitzer Partners With New AI Institute at Oxford »
Kristin Stephens-Martinez hosts Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity and the CEO of Crescendo Education Group in this latest CS-Ed Podcast episode. Learn about the history of grading and why now is a good time to rethink our grading process to make it more equitable. Joe said, "Grades should only convey the student’s level of mastery, not their behavior." read more about New CS-Ed Podcast: Grading for Equity »
Duke Computer Science graduate student Benjamin Bauchwitz was named 2020 Collaborative Sciences Center for Road Safety (CSCRS) Student of the Year! As part of a US DOT program honoring students from University Transportation Centers who demonstrate achievements in academic performance, research, leadership, professionalism, and potential future contributions, Bauchwitz was selected by CSCRS as its outstanding student. Duke ECE and Computer Science professor Missy Cummings said “Students like Ben are… read more about Benjamin Bauchwitz Named 2020 CSCRS Student of the Year »
Assistant Professor Lisa Wills has received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for a project entitled "CAREER: Effectuating Hardware-Accelerated Systems with Domain-Specific Primitives." Total funding will be $544,448 over 5 years. The award will support Wills' research into how to create highly efficient hardware-accelerated systems for compute- and memory-intensive applications that process enormous volumes of data. This is NSF's most prestigious award in support of junior faculty. read more about Lisa Wills receives NSF CAREER Award »
Duke Computer Science students Liang (Charles) Lyu and Yikai Wu received awards from the Computing Research Association (CRA) for 2021 Outstanding Undergraduate Research. Selected as a Finalist, Charles studied incorporating fairness and diversity into established algorithmic frameworks with Kamesh Munagala and Brandon Fain. Awarded an Honorable Mention, Yikai designed query answering algorithms under differential privacy with Ashwin Machanavajjhala, and investigated the structures of Hessians for neural networks with Rong… read more about Duke CS Students Win CRA 2021 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Awards »
Duke Computer Science Associate Professor Ashwin Machanavajjhala was named a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world's largest and most prestigious society of computing professionals, for "outstanding scientific contributions to computing" in the areas of cybersecurity and differential privacy. Congratulations to Ashwin on this well deserved recognition by his peers "for a range of accomplishments that move the computing field forward." read more about Ashwin Machanavajjhala named ACM Distinguished Member »
Xiaochen Du received Duke faculty's highest honor bestowed on undergraduates for innovative and independent research and scholarship. His research included 2 semesters of independent study with Associate Computer Science Professor Alberto Bartesaghi on cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) image analysis. Only 2 other students at Duke received this prestigious award. Congratulations! read more about Computer Science / Chemistry major Xiaochen Du Named Faculty Scholar for Outstanding Research »
Duke Computer Science Associate Professor and computational biologist Raluca Gordan and research team recently published a Nature journal paper on how transcription factors may inadvertently lock in DNA mistakes. This is because binding to mismatched DNA takes less energy, and may explain how regulatory mutations get locked in. read more about Raluca Gordan and research team publish a new paper in Nature journal »
Duke Computer Science, ECE, Math and Physics Professor Robert Calderbank and ECE and Math Professor Vahid Tarokh will lead a new 5-year, $5 M program, the Air Force Research Lab/Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFRL/AFOSR) University Center of Excellence: Agile Waveform Design for Communication Networks in Contested Environments. VT, Princeton, CMU, CSU and ASU researchers are collaborating on this national initiative to develop AI-informed communication and networking protocols… read more about Robert Calderbank and Vahid Tarokh Lead $5 Million Center to Develop US Air Force Wireless Communications Protocols »
A national authority on cybersecurity and currently at UNC, Professor Michael Reiter will join Duke in January 2021 as a computer science and ece professor. Reiter says, “We have to engage all corners in developing this technology that's going to rule our lives or support our lives.” read more about Michael Reiter: Cybersecurity Is a Moving Target »
Newly appointed associate professor Benjamin Rossman is a member of the Theory Group at Duke CS, which engages in cutting-edge research at the intersection of computer science and mathematics. Rossman, who completed his Ph.D. at MIT, previously held faculty positions at the University of Toronto and the National Institute of Informatics in Tokyo. “I work in complexity theory, an area of theoretical computer science that is concerned with the nature and limits of efficient computation,” says Rossman, who… read more about Benjamin Rossman works at the busy intersections of computer science and mathematics »
Nicki Washington – author, educator and professional disruptor – has come home with a mission. Washington grew up in Durham, where her mom worked as a programmer and manager with IBM. She learned coding as a child and in 2005 became the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in computer science from North Carolina State University. In a career that spans both industry and academia, Washington has focused her work on addressing the diversity, equity, and… read more about Nicki Washington tackles issues of equity and inclusion in computer science »
NSF awarded Duke a $3 M grant to develop a graduate program for developing expertise in using AI for materials science research. Duke MEMS Chair Cate Brinson is the director of aiM (AI for Understanding and Designing Materials). Duke Computer Science Professor and aiM associate director Cynthia Rudin says that one of the keys to developing a workforce in AI for materials science is recognizing its interdisciplinary nature. read more about NSF $3M grant to Duke for AI and materials science research training »
Brandon Fain, newly appointed Assistant Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, has two admirably practical goals in mind for his time at Duke. One, he hopes to use computer science to solve real-world problems. And two, he intends to teach the next generation of students to do the same. As it happens, Fain is a homegrown talent himself. He finished his Ph.D. at Duke just last year, winning Outstanding Dissertation and teaching awards along the way. As he transitions into his new role with the… read more about Brandon Fain aims to prepare Duke Computer Science students for real-world computer science success »
NSF and the Simons Foundation partnered to fund research through the Mathematical and Scientific Foundations of Deep Learning (MoDL) to understand and develop the theoretical foundations for deep learning networks. This $10 M multi-university, interdisciplinary project contains a Duke research award with investigators including Duke ECE, Computer Science, and Math Professor Guillermo Sapiro, Duke Computer Science and Math Associate Professor Rong Ge and James B. Duke… read more about NSF and the Simons Foundation partner to uncover foundations of Deep Learning and AI »
Duke Associate Professor of Computer Science, Biochemistry, and ECE Alberto Bartesaghi with Assistant Professor of Biology Gustavo Silva and coauthors recently published a study in the Proceedings of the US National Academy of Science (PNAS). Their paper focuses on research using high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy to understand new ways cells deal with environmental stress. read more about Alberto Bartesaghi and Gustavo Silva publish research study in PNAS »
Nicki Washington's new course explores diversity challenges in computer science and the effects that this lack of inclusion has on technology. Washington says, "We have to change the mindset of a workforce that is overwhelmingly white, Asian and male so that we all recognize that new perspectives lead to more innovation.” Undergrads, register until 11:59 PM EDT this Friday, Aug. 28 for COMPSCI 190. read more about Nicki Washington's New Course on Race, Gender, Class & Computing »
Duke Computer Science PhD candidate Hanrui Zhang will receive the best student paper award at the 28th Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA) Sept. 7-9, 2020. A fourth-year PhD student, Zhang is advised by Professor Vincent Conitzer and his research area is Economics and Computation. Zhang's recent focus is on learning and decision making in complex environments in the presence of strategic behavior. Congratulations! read more about Hanrui Zhang to receive best student paper award at ESA 2020 »
Ideas are the lifeblood of universities, and Danyang Zhuo – new assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at Duke – has a lot of ideas. Zhuo works in the area of systems and networking, the fundamental framework of our increasingly interconnected world. “My focus is on building efficient and reliable data center systems, like cloud operating systems, distributed computing frameworks, and data center-scale computer networks,” Zhuo says. It sounds… read more about Danyang Zhuo brings new ideas to Duke Computer Science »