Inside Our ProgramProgram Events
Events
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Sep17
EVENT DETAILS
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Welcome back CS Wildcats. Join us for some fresh bagels and hot coffee to celebrate the start of the new school year.
TIME Thursday, September 17, 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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Sep28
EVENT DETAILS
lessMonday / CS Seminar
September 28 / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Matt Godbolt, Hudson River TradingTalk Title
What 25 Days of Optimisations Taught Me About CompilersAbstract
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.TIME Monday, September 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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Sep29
EVENT DETAILS
lessTuesday / CS Seminar
September 29 / 11:00 AM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Manuela Veloso, Carnegie Mellon UniversityTalk Title
TBAAbstract
TBABiography
TBA---
Zoom Link
Panopto LinkTIME Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 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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Oct5
EVENT DETAILS
lessMonday / CS Seminar
October 5 / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Brian Suchy, Software Engineer Google DeepMindTalk Title
Google Relational Modeling Framework: Proving Relational Equivalence at ScaleAbstract
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 optimizerBiography
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
TIME Monday, October 5, 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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Oct14
EVENT DETAILS
lessWednesday / CS/ECE Seminar
October 14 / 12:00 PM
Hybrid / Mudd 3514Speaker
Yuhao Zhu, University of RochesterTalk Title
Imaging-Computing-Human Co-Optimizations for Visual Computing SystemsAbstract
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
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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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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Oct29
EVENT DETAILS
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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
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)
