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Events

• Aug

  17

  Can Gurkan Final Defense August 17: Evolving Code with LLMs: Representation, Selection, and the Limits of Open-Ended Exploration

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  10:00 AM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  This dissertation investigates the use of large language models (LLMs) as variation operators for evolving programs. Whereas a traditional variation operator modifies program syntax without regard to program behavior, an LLM can propose changes informed by the semantics of the code. This capability has enabled new forms of program evolution and produced promising results, yet the behavior of LLM-based evolutionary operators remains comparatively understudied. This dissertation examines three forces that shape the resulting evolutionary process: the representation of candidate programs, the method of selection that determines which candidates persist across generations, and the dynamics of the variation operator itself. Each of these factors influences the capacity for sustained, open-ended exploration.
  
  To study representation, we evolved agent rules for multi-agent simulations implemented in NetLogo and introduced three benchmark environments for evaluating LLM-generated code in this setting. Three ways of representing the same rule were compared: executable code, code with comments, and pseudocode that a separate model call converts into executable code. Across all three environments, evolving commented code produced the highest-performing agents, while evolving pseudocode produced the lowest-performing agents, indicating that natural language aids the variation operator when it augments executable code rather than replacing it.
  
  To study selection, we varied the balance between objective performance and behavioral novelty while evolving agent rules. Final fitness was largely unaffected by this balance, but greater emphasis on novelty consistently yielded a higher proportion of qualitatively superior code structures. These findings suggest that diversity-driven search can improve the quality of evolved code, revealing a hidden cost of objective-centric optimization.
  
  To study the operator itself, we asked whether a language model that repeatedly mutates a program continues to explore new forms or instead returns to recurring structures. Mutation chains were analyzed in the absence of selection pressure within a domain-specific language, varying prompt design, model family, and stochastic replication. The chains converged on restricted regions of program space, with most variation confined to substitutions within recurring structural templates, while a classical genetic programming mutation operator showed no comparable convergence under matched conditions.
  
  These three forces do not act independently. The representation determines the extent to which the capabilities of the variation operator can be exploited, selection determines which resulting programs persist and become available for further variation, and the dynamics of the operator shape the structures that repeated mutation continues to produce. LLM-driven program evolution can effectively evolve agent rules for multi-agent systems, but its outcomes are sensitive to design choices that are easily left implicit. The selection regime changes the quality of the program structures that survive, while the same semantic capabilities that allow an LLM to transform programs can also introduce a systematic bias toward structural homogeneity. Whether these systems can sustain open-ended exploration depends on the interaction among representation, selection, and variation.

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  TIME Monday, August 17, 2026 at 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

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

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  CONTACT Jensen Smith    jensen.smith@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Sep

  17

  Bagel Thursday

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

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

  EVENT DETAILS

  

  Welcome back CS Wildcats. Join us for some fresh bagels and hot coffee to celebrate the start of the new school year.

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  TIME Thursday, September 17, 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: What 25 Days of Optimisations Taught Me About Compilers (Matt Godbolt)

  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
  Matt Godbolt, Hudson River Trading

  Talk Title
  What 25 Days of Optimisations Taught Me About Compilers

  Abstract
  In December last year I posted a short video every day about a different compiler optimisation. Some were obvious, some surprised me, a handful caught me out completely, and some turned out to be compiler bugs. This talk distils the most interesting into one story about where modern optimisers are scarily good, where they're stubbornly bad, and what we can do as C++ programmers to help them.

  Biography
  Matt Godbolt is the creator and primary maintainer of Compiler Explorer. A C++ developer based in Chicago, he works at Hudson River Trading and is one half of the Two's Complement podcast. His career has been a steady journey deeper into the machine: from writing rendering engines for video games to years of low-latency trading systems. When not hacking on Compiler Explorer, Matt likes to write emulators for the computers he grew up on, the ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro and Sega Master System.

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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)

• Sep

  29

  CS Graduate Women's Breakfast

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  8:30 AM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  Welcome back folks! Join us for our annual Computer Science Graduate Women's Welcome Breakfast this year on Tuesday, September 29th. Mix and mingle with graduate women across the department over a hot breakfast to kick off the year. Please RSVP to reserve your spot.

  All are welcome!

  Register Now

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  TIME Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM

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

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  CONTACT Bella Barrios    marbella.barrios@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Sep

  29

  CS Seminar: Manuela Veloso

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  11:00 AM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  Tuesday / CS Seminar
  September 29 / 11:00 AM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  Speaker
  Manuela Veloso, Carnegie Mellon University

  Talk Title
  TBA

  Abstract
  TBA

  Biography
  TBA

  ---
  Zoom Link
  Panopto Link

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  TIME Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 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: Google Relational Modeling Framework: Proving Relational Equivalence at Scale (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
  Google Relational Modeling Framework: Proving Relational Equivalence at Scale

  Abstract
  

  GenAI is accelerating computer science in nearly every way. From development and research to deployment, AI has the potential to enable huge sweeping changes to engineering workflows along the entire computing stack; however, to truly realize the potential for this, we must build the foundations for these workflows to be able to operate autonomously with minimal human intervention.

  One of these building blocks, Google Relational Modeling Framework (GRMF), generalizes relational logic, including GoogleSQL, Common Expression Language (CEL), Datalog, and (conditionally) NumPy/Pandas, into a unified Relational Algebra-based Dialect. In this talk, we dive into one of GRMF's use cases of enabling sound, deterministic verification by formally proving equivalence between relational statements.
  We examine the inner workings of multi-layered formal proving methods (ranging from e-graphs and $k$-semirings to SMT solvers like Z3/CVC5) and detail real-world production use cases. Finally, we explore future applications of GRMF, including automated cross-engine query migration (e.g., BigQuery $\leftrightarrow$ F1), JIT compilation of SQL queries, execution of NumPy programs via F1/Voxel, and its potential as a general MLIR query optimizer

  Biography

  Brian Suchy is a Senior Software Engineer at Google DeepMind. He works in several areas including: hardware development, formal verification, and (of course) AI.

  Brian graduated with his PhD from Northwestern in 2017. He worked in the Prescience Lab, led by Dr. Peter Dinda, with a focus on Software-based Memory Management

  Research Interests: Databases, Architecture, 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

  14

  CS/ECE Seminar: Imaging-Computing-Human Co-Optimizations for Visual Computing Systems (Yuhao Zhu)

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

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

  EVENT DETAILS

  Wednesday / CS/ECE Seminar
  October 14 / 12:00 PM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  Speaker
  Yuhao Zhu, University of Rochester

  Talk Title
  Imaging-Computing-Human Co-Optimizations for Visual Computing Systems

  Abstract
  Future computer systems will rarely operate in isolation. They will increasingly interact intimately with two domains traditionally considered outside computing: imaging and human perception. In almost all emerging applications such as Extended Reality (XR), embodied AI, and autonomous agents, computer systems must continuously sense, image, and interpret the physical world while also generating visual information that engages human perceptual and cognitive systems.

  This talk argues that some of the most consequential opportunities in computer systems and architecture lie at the boundaries between computing and the physical and perceptual worlds. I will illustrate this idea through two examples. First, I will discuss computational image sensors, where co-designing the sensor and computing system around domain-specific insights can substantially improve end-to-end efficiency and, more importantly, enable new forms of spatial intelligence for embodied AI. Second, I will discuss human systems co-optimization, where we model human visual perception in immersive environments to design energy-efficient XR hardware.

  Biography
  Yuhao Zhu is an Associate Professor of Computer Science, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and an Asaro Biggar Family Fellow in Data Science, all at University of Rochester, where he and his students are mostly drawn to research problems at the intersection of computer architecture, graphics, and human factors. With his collaborators and students, he has won multiple IEEE Micro Top Picks in Computer Architecture for novelty and potential for long-term impact, along with best paper awards/nominations at MICRO, HPCA, ASPLOS, and IEEE VR.

  Research Areas: Computer architecture, graphics, imaging

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  TIME Wednesday, October 14, 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

  21

  SkAI Colloquium

  SkAI Institute

  1:00 PM Auditorium

  EVENT DETAILSmore info

  

  The SkAI Colloquia series features presentations from leading scholars and researchers working at the intersection of Astro and AI.
  
  This SkAI Colloquium is co-sponsored by NU CS Department and NNCI as part of NNCI’s Distinguished Speakers series.

  Speaker: Anima Anandkumar
  Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences,
  Division of Engineering and Applied Science, Caltech

  Talk title and abstract will be made available on the SkAI Institute Event web page closer to the date of the event.

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  TIME Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

  LOCATION Auditorium   

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  CONTACT Gema Tinoco    Gema.Tinoco@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR SkAI Institute

• Oct

  28

  CS Seminar: Aaron Shaw

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

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

  EVENT DETAILS

  Wednesday / CS Seminar
  October 28 / 11:00 AM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  Speaker
  Aaron Shaw

  Talk Title
  TBA

  Abstract
  TBA

  Biography
  TBA

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  TIME Wednesday, October 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

  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

  4

  CS Seminar: Computational Ecosystems: Advancing Human Values Through Integrative Computing and Changing Practice (Haoqi Zhang)

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

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

  EVENT DETAILS

  Wednesday / CS Seminar
  November 4 / 12:00 PM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  Speaker
  Haoqi Zhang, Northwestern University

  Talk Title
  Computational Ecosystems: Advancing Human Values Through Integrative Computing and Changing Practice

  Abstract

  Despite decades of computing advances, some human problems and core human values have remained difficult to solve or promote at scale. Instead of advancing individual technologies, I focus our attention on making major leaps in system-level thinking and orchestration. Specifically, I describe my efforts to design, build, and study computational ecosystems that interweave effective practices, interactional structures, and intelligent systems to form new, integrative solutions. Computational ecosystems emphasize (1) combining wedges of human and machine intelligence to make effective practices feasible; and (2) creating processes, interactions, and communities that sustain and deepen practice.

  In the first half of my talk, I will share examples of computational ecosystems we built over the last decade that transform how we plan, coordinate, learn, connect, and innovate. The second half of my talk will share our more recent efforts to support human practices and human experiences computationally. I will close with a few thoughts on why we need computational ecosystems, especially if we intend to not only meet our consequentialist aims but to deepen our engagement in intrinsically valuable human activities.

  Biography

  Haoqi Zhang is an associate professor in Computer Science and Design at Northwestern University, where he also holds a courtesy appointment in Learning Sciences. His work advances the design of integrated socio-technical models that solve complex problems and advance human values. His research work bridges across Computer Science, Design, Learning Science, Psychology, and Philosophy, and is generously supported by the National Science Foundation.

  Haoqi received his PhD in Computer Science and BA in Computer Science and Economics from Harvard University. At Northwestern he founded and directs the Design, Technology, and Research (DTR) program, which provides an original model for learning and growing through research for over 180 students (read the DTR annual letters, available at dtr.northwestern.edu/letters; and watch the DTR documentary, Forward, at http://forward.movie). With Matt Easterday, Liz Gerber, and Nell O’Rourke, Haoqi co-directs the Delta Lab, an interdisciplinary research lab and design studio across computer science, learning sciences, and design.

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  TIME Wednesday, November 4, 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)

• Nov

  9

  Distinguished Lecture: Mohit Bansal

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

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

  EVENT DETAILS

  Monday / CS Seminar
  November 9 / 11:00 AM
  Hybrid / Mudd 3514

  Speaker
  Mohit Bansal

  Talk Title
  TBA

  Abstract
  TBA

  Biography
  TBA

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  TIME Monday, November 9, 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)