Inside Our ProgramProgram Events
Events
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Oct6
EVENT DETAILS
lessTuesday / CS Seminar
October 6 / 11:00 AM
In Person / Tech F281Speaker
Harry Wang, Columbia UniversityTalk Title
Houston, We Have a Problem: Systems Challenges of Large Scale Spacecraft DeploymentsAbstract
The collapsing cost of space launches has disrupted the way satellites are deployed, shifting the industry from a model of a few expensive fault-tolerant high-orbit satellites to arrays of commodity low-cost SmallSats in low-Earth orbit. However, satellite software hasn't kept up with the hardware trends, and missions are still using the ad-hoc flight software infrastructure built for expensive one-off missions in high-altitude orbits, even as constellations of tens or even hundreds of SmallSats come online. This motivates new approaches rooted in verification and language design.In this talk, I present Orbital, which extends eBPF's symbolic execution to derive tight worst-case execution time bounds for hard real-time multi-tenant scheduling on SmallSats, and Radshield, a programming model that efficiently replicates execution and protects commodity hardware from radiation-induced silent data corruption. I'll also discuss ongoing work with NASA-JPL to adapt WebAssembly as the onboard command DSL for their flight software framework, and open problems at the intersection of software systems and space that this community is well-positioned to tackle.
Biography
Haoda Wang is a PhD candidate at Columbia University developing software systems for spacecraft. Previously, he has worked on flight software for the Mars Perseverance rover, and developed mission-critical tools that run onboard commodity chips in the high-radiation environment. He is also a 2024 NSF GRFP fellow and a 2022 DoD NDSEG fellow.Research Interests: software systems, programming languages
TIME Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
LOCATION Tech F281, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Oct7
EVENT DETAILS
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Please join us in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the Technological Institute for an hour-long Meet the Faculty seminar with Professor Jakub Szefer.
Student Introduction by Henry Abrahamson.
Abstract: Research on quantum computer security has been advancing and gaining attention since early 2020s. Much of the early security work at the beginning of this decade focused on NISQ (Noisy-Intermediate Scale Quantum) computers which in the last years became easily reachable via the internet. Cloud-based quantum computing brough promise of accessibility to many users who do not have a physical quantum computer, but also opened many new security threats and attacks, such as crosstalk and reset gate attacks developed by our research group. As quantum computing is now transitioning to FTQC (Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing) new threats are emerging, and our recent research has explored the new threats and security attacks in the emergent FTQC paradigm, especially new types of side channel attacks on lattice surgery operations. Across both NISQ and FTQC, quantum computing stack includes quantum computer controllers that manage all the operations of the quantum computers. The controllers have emerged as yet a new attack surface and vulnerability of quantum computing systems, which we have studied in our research group. This talk will present various security threats and mitigations across the quantum computing stack, from controllers to the QPUs (Quantum Processing Units). The talk will highlight recent research results as well as the larger challenges and opportunities in future work for advancing the security of the quantum computing stack.
Bio: Jakub Szefer is an Associate Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Northwestern University where he leads the Computer Architecture and Security Lab (CASLAB). His research focuses on security attacks and defenses at the computer architecture and hardware levels of computer systems. His work encompasses security of processor architectures, reconfigurable logic, post-quantum cryptographic accelerators, and quantum computers. He is the author of the “Principles of Secure Processor Architecture Design” book, published in 2018, and co-editor of the “Security of FPGA-Accelerated Cloud Computing Environments” book, published in 2023. He received his BS degree with highest-honors in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and MA and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University.
TIME Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM
LOCATION L440, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Lee Onysko lee.onysko@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
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Oct9
EVENT DETAILS
lessFriday / CS Seminar
October 9 / 12:00 PM
In Person / Tech L361Speaker
Yusuf Pisan, University of Washington BothellTalk Title
Teaching an LLM Tutor to Withhold the AnswerAbstract
LLMs are good at answering homework questions, and for a tutor that is the problem. Learning requires a struggle. A tutor that hands the student the answer is not doing its job. Tutor's job is to withhold information and guide the student towards the answer. We call this refusal-under-knowledge: the tutor knows the answer, the student can see that it knows and asks directly, and the tutor still has to hold back while staying warm and useful. Standard LLM safety refuses content a model should not produce. A tutor has to refuse content it can produce.The tutor's response to the student has to be warm, Socratic, factually grounded and not reveal the answer. When students push back, the tutor's job becomes harder. What information the tutor withholds cannot be checked by reading its prompt. It has to be measured against real student behavior, including deliberate attempts to extract the answer, and adjusted until it holds. So rather than writing a better prompt, we enforce withholding outside the model that generates the response and calibrate that enforcement against evidence.
Biography
PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Northwestern University (1998). Teaching Professor at the Computing & Software Systems division of University of Washington Bothell, where I have taught since 2017. Before Seattle: 20 years in Sydney at UTS, and visiting appointments at Harvey Mudd, USC, WPI, and ITU Copenhagen.My research group T4G (Tech for Good) works on CS education, AI systems, and video games. I founded the UTS Games Studio and the Australasian Conference on Interactive Entertainment. I received the UWB Distinguished Teaching Award in 2023.
Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Education, Qualitative Reasoning, LLMs, Tutoring Systems
TIME Friday, October 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION TCHL361, Technological Institute map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Oct13
EVENT DETAILS
lessTuesday / Theory Seminar
October 13 / 1:00pm
Mudd 3514
Speaker: Ravi Kannan
Talk Title: Learning Mixtures with separation based on latent dimension
Abstract:
There is a rich literature on learning mixture distributions assuming separation of componnt means based on the number of clusters k and the ambient dimension d. There are many application areas in which the means of the clusters lie in an m dimensional sub-space with m << k. Addressing this point, we prove that a separation depending upon m (the dependence on m being √ m) suffices and indeed the classical SVD-based algorithm (“project to m dimensional SVD space and cluster in the projection”) learns under this separation provided the matrix of means has a high enough m th singular value. The proof uses the “sine theta” theorem which bounds the sensitivity of singular space. Our lower bound on the m th singular value, we prove is satisfied in a natural Bayesian mixture learning set-up, where a prior is assumed on the set of means. We also prove that under the separation assumption, we get a perfect clustering of the sample.
TIME Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Indira Munoz indira.munoz@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Oct14
EVENT DETAILS
lessWednesday / CS/ECE Seminar
October 14 / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Yuhao Zhu, University of RochesterTalk Title
Programming and Architecting Heterogeneous Physical Intelligence: A Sensing-Computing-Human Co-Optimization ApproachAbstract
Future computers will be integrated into embodied systems that operate in complex real-world environments, such as autonomous robots and smart wearable/Extended Reality (XR) glasses. These systems must continuously sense and interpret the physical world while also generating information that engages human perceptual and cognitive systems.
This talk argues that programming and architecting future computer systems must integrate sensing and human cognition into the computing stack, and presents my lab’s work toward this vision. First, I will discuss the co-design of sensing and computation, where we design novel computational image sensors and compile visual programs across heterogeneous sensing and computing hardware. Second, I will discuss co-optimizing computing with humans, where we build computational models of human visual perception, which provides perceptual, not numerical, specifications and constraints for navigating the enormous design space of visual programs. Together, these projects point toward an exciting future of computing that jointly reasons about machines, the physical world, and human cognition.
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, compilers, sensing, 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
TIME Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Oct21
EVENT DETAILSmore info
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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, CaltechTalk title and abstract will be made available on the SkAI Institute Event web page closer to the date of the event.
TIME Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
LOCATION Auditorium
CONTACT Gema Tinoco Gema.Tinoco@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR SkAI Institute
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Oct22
EVENT DETAILS
lesstba
TIME Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Oct22
EVENT DETAILSmore info
lessWant to join the decision-makers? Register for Northwestern University's Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) Program Information Session and learn how you can enhance your knowledge of IT and gain the business management skills you need to direct effective IT strategy.
TIME Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
CONTACT Svetlana Korzeniowski msit@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR MS in Information Technology (MSIT) Program
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Oct28
EVENT DETAILS
lessWednesday / CS Seminar
October 28 / 11:00 AM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Aaron ShawTalk Title
TBAAbstract
TBABiography
TBATIME Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Nov4
EVENT DETAILS
lessWednesday / CS Seminar
November 4 / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Haoqi Zhang, Northwestern UniversityTalk Title
Computational Ecosystems: Advancing Human Values Through Integrative Computing and Changing PracticeAbstract
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.
TIME Wednesday, November 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Nov9
EVENT DETAILS
lessMonday / CS Seminar
November 9 / 11:00 AM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Mohit BansalTalk Title
TBAAbstract
TBABiography
TBATIME Monday, November 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Nov19
EVENT DETAILS
lesstba
TIME Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library) map it
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
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Dec4
EVENT DETAILS
lessTBA
TIME Friday, December 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
CONTACT Wynante R Charles wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL
CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)
