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Events

• Aug

  26

  Wenxuan Shi PhD Prospectus August 26: Understanding the Capabilities and Limits of Autonomous Cybersecurity Reasoning Systems

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  7:00 PM

  EVENT DETAILS

  Cybersecurity Reasoning Systems (CRSs) combine large language models with tools, program-analysis techniques, execution feedback, and control logic to discover and repair vulnerabilities in real software. Recent systems have demonstrated increasingly strong capabilities, but a persistent gap remains between what these systems appear to achieve and our understanding of why they work. Aggregate success rates on fixed benchmarks reveal little about which components are responsible for these capabilities, whether those components remain useful as foundation models improve, or whether a system can recognize objectives that cannot be achieved. These questions are further complicated by benchmark issues such as answer leakage, environment failures, incomplete oracles, and unintended solution shortcuts.

  This thesis examines the capabilities and limits of autonomous cybersecurity reasoning systems, with a particular focus on the mechanisms that give rise to those capabilities. In this talk, I will summarize my prior work on automated vulnerability discovery and repair, including our work on CRSs developed for the Artificial Intelligence Cyber Challenge (AIxCC). I will discuss how these systems combine language-model reasoning with fuzzing, program analysis, execution feedback, and other specialized components, and what their behavior reveals about the sources of end-to-end capability.

  I will then discuss broader questions that emerge from this work: which system components remain valuable as foundation models improve, how benchmark design affects the conclusions we draw about system capability, and whether these systems can recognize when a task cannot be completed under specified constraints. Together, this work aims to move beyond aggregate success rates toward a more concrete understanding of how cybersecurity reasoning systems work, how their capabilities generalize, and where their boundaries lie.

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  TIME Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

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  CONTACT Jensen Smith    jensen.smith@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Sep

  14

  Welcome & Breakfast for New McCormick PhD Students

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  9:00 AM LR2, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Enjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free breakfast on the Tech East Plaza will follow.

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  TIME Monday, September 14, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

  LOCATION LR2, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  22

  Welcome & Luncheon for New Full-time Graduate Students

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  11:00 AM Ryan Family Auditorium, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Enjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free lunch on the Tech East Plaza will follow.

  Register Now

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  TIME Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

  LOCATION Ryan Family Auditorium, Technological Institute    map it

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  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  24

  Bagel Thursday + Discussion

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  9:00 AM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

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  TIME Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)    map it

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  CONTACT Wynante R Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Sep

  28

  CS Seminar

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  12:00 PM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  Monday / CS Seminar
  September 28 / 12:00 PM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  Speaker
  TBA

  Talk Title
  TBA

  Abstract
  TBA

  Biography
  TBA

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  Zoom Link
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  TIME Monday, September 28, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

  LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)    map it

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  CONTACT Wynante R Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Oct

  5

  CS Seminar: Formal Relational Equivalence for SQL, GenAI, and Beyond (Brian Suchy)

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  12:00 PM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  Monday / CS Seminar
  October 5 / 12:00 PM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  Speaker
  Brian Suchy, Software Engineer Google DeepMind

  Talk Title
  Formal Relational Equivalence for SQL, GenAI, and Beyond

  Abstract
  Verifying that complex query rewrites from database optimizers or AI-driven generators preserve exact bag semantics under three-valued logic is an NP-hard challenge. To address this, we present an MLIR-native compiler framework that formally reasons about relational algebra. By decoupling query semantics from specific execution engines and lowering queries into a unified Relational Algebra Intermediate Representation, our language-agnostic methodology definitively proves semantic equivalence across all possible database states.

  The core of the presentation will deep-dive into our multi-tiered proving architecture, which synthesizes several advanced academic methodologies. First, we utilize E-Graphs and Equality Saturation to rapidly explore the equivalence space and detect structural congruence between query abstract syntax trees using fast, algebraic rewrite rules. Second, we employ Semiring Arithmetic, treating relational algebra as expressions over K-relations to leverage algebraic simplification and canonical forms under semiring laws. Finally, we implement a First-Order Logic and SMT translation path, lowering Relational Algebra into Relational Calculus and then into First-Order Logic to evaluate constraints and domain-specific axioms using parallel solvers like Z3 and CVC5, which either formally proves equivalence or synthesizes concrete counter-examples.

  Finally, we will discuss the practical implications of combining these formal mathematical methods with modern compiler design. Attendees will leave with a comprehensive understanding of how bridging database theory, equality saturation, and SMT solving can create robust solutions for verifying query optimizers, enforcing semantic correctness, and validating automated SQL generation at scale.

  Biography
  Brian Suchy is a Software Engineer within Google DeepMind.
  In his time at Google he has worked on F1 Query (Google's internal SQL query engine), hardware development, and (of course) AI.
  Prior to joining Google, Brian received his PhD student at Northwestern University, advised by Peter Dinda, with a focus on hardware/software codesign and memory management.

  Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Query Processing and Formal Logic

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  TIME Monday, October 5, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

  LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)    map it

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  CONTACT Wynante R Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Oct

  29

  Bagel Thursday + Discussion

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  9:00 AM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  tba

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  TIME Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)    map it

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  CONTACT Wynante R Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Nov

  19

  Bagel Thursday + Discussion

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  9:00 AM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  tba

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  TIME Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)    map it

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  CONTACT Wynante R Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)