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Department of Computer Science at The University of Arizona

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Department of Computer Science at The University of Arizona

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10/14/2026

Student Spotlight: Carlos Silva (Senior, BS in Computer Science). From playing baseball to computer science --including a stop at Madrid, Spain.

Carlos Silva started his undergraduate experience at Dean College, Boston, as a student-athlete playing baseball⚾ . After a few years, he knew it was time to hang up the cleats and returned home to Tucson, Arizona, and started attending the University of Arizona in pursuit of a CS degree.

Now, as he approaches graduation, Carlos reflects on his time at Arizona. Having served as a front desk student worker, CS Ambassador Lead, Peer Career Coach, Peer Advisor, done Study Abroad in Madrid, and interning at IBM, Carlos has taken advantage of his time at Arizona.

This past summer, Carlos took his learning abroad to Madrid, Spain 🇪🇸 , building connections with fellow CS students from across the nation, explored new countries (Morocco🇲🇦 is one of his favorite) and sampled lots of incredible food 🧆 🥘 🧑‍🍳 throughout!

Carlos's advice to fellow students? "Don't try to eat the whole world at once...don't compare yourself to others...the more curious you are, the better."

Watch the full interview to hear more about Carlos's Arizona journey, study abroad adventures, and how AI can help explore career possibilities!

10/02/2026

🤩 🤩 Student Shoutout - Alex Myers! 🤩 🤩

Justus Edwards (pictured left) recognized his fellow CS peer and CSC 452 classmate because "Alex is super friendly and helpful...always responds to other students when they ask for help or have a question... aren't afraid to ask questions during class and foster a fruitful learning environment for everyone." Justus and Alex are from Pima County (Alex from Tucson and Justus from Marana) and are in their senior year.

Alex chose to pursue Computer Science because "my grandmother put me in a basic computer program 4-H class in high school and I loved it. I've always loved messing with computers." The main reason Alex chose to attend the University of Arizona? "My uncle went here, also I heard it had a good Computer Science program. I agree." (we agree too!!) Alex is currently working as a research assistant for developing a python-based plugin for cost analyzing 3d parts. When he isn't doing research or attending class, you might find Alex playing frisbee🥏 or doing yoyo🪀 tricks.

Justus considers himself a gamer 🎮 and decided, based on his love of gaming, to give CS a chance --"once I gave it a shot, I ended up really loving it." Justus' favorite CS language is Java because "it just makes sense." Justus enjoys attending "game nights at my local game store" and was excited about the prerelease for Reality Fracture. Justus' advice to his peers: "enjoy coding. Have fun doing assignments and go down rabbit holes of "I wonder how this works". It's helped me more than you know."

🎉 🎉 Congratulations to Alex for being recognized for your positivity and impact on your peers! 🎉 🎉

09/25/2026

⭐ ⭐ Meet Spencer Krieger - Alumni Spotlight⭐ ⭐ . Spencer earned a M.S. and Ph.D in Computer Science from University of Arizona, under the guidance of Prof. John Kececioglu. Growing up in Salt Lake City, Spencer initially chose to apply to the University of Arizona because he "wanted someplace warm...on the west coast." It was a visit to the UA and the department that ultimately locked in his choice to attend -"I really enjoyed the atmosphere...felt like I would get to know a lot of the faculty."

While at BYU, as a biochemistry undergraduate, Spencer took an analytical chemistry🧑‍🔬 course that required working with MATLAB. That experience led to the realization of his enjoyment and proficiency in programming. That interest has resulted in a wonderful academic career including several peer-reviewed papers, a PhD, postdoc, and a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Department of Biomedical Data Science in the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College.

One of Spencer's favorite memories while at the University of Arizona - "the friends I had in my PhD cohort...we still get together once or twice a year to do a board game weekend...also, the department is really small, so you really get to know everyone pretty well." We are pretty confident that his board game weekends will go on for a long time - Spencer owns over 200 board games🎲 !

When this interview was conducted, Spencer was finishing up his postdoc work and was preparing to start his new lab and position at Dartmouth College this fall. Learn more about the Krieger Lab at Dartmouth (https://kriegerlab.com/).

09/10/2026

⭐ ⭐ New Faculty Spotlight: Assistant Professor Quinn Burke⭐ ⭐

Dr. Quinn Burke joined the University of Arizona Department of Computer Science August 2026 as one of our newest faculty. Having earned a PhD in Computer Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Quinn chose to pursue a career in higher education in part because "it gives me the opportunity to work with brilliant students and researchers who share the same passion for research."

Quinn's research area is "cybersecurity, with a special focus on cloud security....I study everything from the lowest level of software stack (software-hardware interfaces) to the highest level (application-specific security protections)." Serving as the lead for the newly formed Secure Computing Lab, Quinn is recruiting new students to join this exciting and important research lab. Interested? Learn more about the Secure Computing Lab here: https://bit.ly/46jWkki .

Quinn is excited to be a part of the collaborative department and community and is looking forward to take part in the "energy at U of A basketball and football games, exploring the beautiful state of Arizona and the rich cultural and culinary scene in Tucson."

When Quinn isn't doing research or teaching, he enjoys "home-labbing (manages a small 16U server rack cluster at home for fun), running🏃‍♂️‍➡️ , sailing⛵ , and hiking🥾 .

Welcome Dr. Burke - we are excited to have you join the department!

08/28/2026

🙌 Congrats UA CS/AI Wildcats, ✔️ first week is over! As you start planning for the future, we wanted to give you a quick break (and motivation) by highlighting 3 of our recent alumni - Chitrangada, Hidoyat, and Stephin. These alumni were our first graduating BS in Artificial Intelligence students this past spring!

Chitrangada Juneja developed a "love of programming" since 9th grade when she chose to take a CS elective. She ultimately decided to attend the University of Arizona because of the undergraduate research opportunities and breadth of courses available. A core memory of her time at UA included being on campus early in the morning, before the hustle and bustle of the day - "nobody is there...completely silent...watch the sunrise, and it's just perfect." 🌵 🌅

Hidoyat Ruzmetov believed the University of Arizona stood out, in part because of the research available and opportunities to learn about machine learning and AI. His decision to attend Arizona turned out to be fortuitous because the BS in AI launched during his time at UA - with just enough time for him to complete a dual major (even when "not going to sleep for the 2 years"). Hidoyat served as a CS Ambassador, helping provide outreach to high school students, and was a part of the UA Hack Arizona team hosting this year's Hack Arizona event. 👨‍💻

Stephin Tomsonwas looking for a program with strengths in astronomy🌌 and CS and he found it in Arizona - " a perfect balance between both of these." Stephin's experience in the AI Capstone course gave him firsthand experience interacting with professors and others outside the department "to see user experience and other feedbacks...how to make a product that is useful for programmers and people in industry." Stephin advises students to get involved in activities outside of academics/professional activities, allowing one to have a "change of pace."

Watch the full interview as these former students talk about their experiences at UA, their plans for the future, and advice for students : https://bit.ly/4zGcWA8

07/28/2026

Jordan Rodriguez, native Tucsonan and Department of Computer Science alum🎓 (BS - 2025; MS -2026), is continuing his journey here as a lecturer this fall!

Leveraging his time as an undergraduate and graduate student in the department, Jordan will be able to provide a unique perspective on the curriculum and student experience. Jordan worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant and course coordinator and developed a strong connection to teaching -"Working as a TA, I found teaching very fulfilling. That feeling of passion, combined with the inspiration of the teachers that I knew had impacted my life so positively, inspired me to get on the path to become a teacher myself. I love the academic environment that combines teaching, bringing in the next generation of computer scientists, and research, exploring and expanding the boundaries of the field."

Jordan hopes to make a positive experience and impact as a lecturer. We know Jordan will inspire his students, much like our faculty inspired him - "I applied to the department because I found a home here throughout my degree. The teachers have been approachable, and have inspired me in many ways with their passion and dedication. I've found there's a general appreciation for the beauty and elegance of computing, which I appreciate and resonate with. I was inspired to bring more students into that culture through teaching."

When Jordan isn't preparing for the upcoming semester, he is reading📖 , meditating , or doing yoga 🧘‍♂️ . He recently completed a summer program at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (https://bit.ly/4wpqzBM)!

Read more about Jordan here (https://bit.ly/4wolBW3)!

Happy to have you join the faculty and look forward to your success!

06/30/2026

⭐ 🤩Staff Spotlight🤩 ⭐ featuring Tina Mendoza, our amazing (and award-winning) Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC). Tina has been a staff member at the University of Arizona for 18 years - having been a GPC for 8 of those years. Her passion for supporting graduate students is evident in her daily work and celebrated by all who are fortunate to know her.

Tina came to the U of A after having worked as a stunt show performer, Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), and Regional Office Manager! Her "cool under pressure" approach makes our graduate students feel calm and reassured in Tina's presence. Her passion for higher education stems from her own experiences at UA - having earned a BA in Linguistics and MA in Library and Information Science and served as a student worker and administrative associate.

Tina was recognized this past year for the UA Graduate College's Outstanding Contributions Award 🥇 - only one GPC is selected across campus! (read the article here: https://bit.ly/4evLcWq) A strong student advocate, Tina has served as a GPC representative on the campus Graduate Council and several department and university committees. Her mindset serving on these important groups has always been - "Will this benefit graduate students....and doing right by graduate students"

The key to Tina's success as a GPC? "Be a good listener...give students time and space to discuss openly...know policies and resources."

Prospective grad students, make note of Tina's advice: "Do all that you can while you are an undergraduate to set yourself up to apply to graduate school...prepare to apply early."

Tina's love of sport and physical activity started young, having been a gymnast 🤸‍♀️ , a soccer⚽ player (still to this day in a Tucson league), basketballer ⛹️‍♀️ , an Irish Traditional Dancer☘️ , and hiker🥾 .

Watch the CS Staff Spotlight interview to learn more about Tina (and see some cool pictures of her as a stunt person, EMT and gymnast here: https://bit.ly/4eK6deG .

06/15/2026

Ojas Sanghi (spring 2026 graduate) made the most of his time at the University of Arizona - undergraduate research, internships, and prestigious accolades including being selected as a Udall Scholar, Truman Scholar and College of Science Outstanding Senior. His success centers on his belief that a single person can take action and do something meaningful.

Ojas learned about the climate crisis in high school and did something many others don't do - he chose to do something about it. Ojas became active in the Arizona Youth Climate Coalition, serving as the Tucson Co-Lead. His work with AZ YCC, led to a commitment from Tucson Unified School District as part of a climate action resolution with enormous impact (see here: https://bit.ly/4vW6vX7).

Two of Ojas's pieces of advice to students: "trust your gut on what is a good use of your time....pursuing a unique path is really scary but also a really good feeling"

Ojas is using his passion for climate policy and computer science to pursue the MS in Technology and Policy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Check out the Student Spotlight interview (https://bit.ly/4vLiXsw) to learn more about Ojas's experiences at the University of Arizona, his work on climate action plans, shoutout to CS instructor Melanie Lotz, and advice on overcoming barriers (self-imposed and external).

05/15/2026

🎓 🎓 🎓 Congrats class of 2026! 🎓 🎓 🎓 We are excited for you and feel very lucky to have been a small part of your time here. We will miss you, but know that you are going off to do amazing things! Welcome to the CS Alumni Community!

05/14/2026

Alumni Spotlight!! Sam Liang() (MS '93) arrived in Tucson to pursue the MS in Computer Science in Fall 1991, after being on his first 🛬 plane ride and with only “a few hundred dollars” in his pocket.

He was ready to start his American experience and pursue the “American dream.” Sam learned from renowned/notable UA CS faculty - Ralph Griswold (department’s first department head), Udi Manber, and Gregg Andrews. After graduating in 1994, Sam went on to attend Stanford University in pursuit of a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Internet Distributed Systems. After spending some time in industry (including Cisco, Tropos Networks, Google, DFJ), Sam decided it was time to start his own company - Alohar Mobile Inc (Acquired by Alibaba). Fast forward to February 2016 - Sam co-founded and is CEO of Otter.ai, which pioneered the AI Meeting Assistant category, with over 35 million users world wide and over $100M in annual revenue.

Watch the interview (https://youtu.be/m0hUs8OKUZ0) as Sam reflects on his experience at UA, discusses Otter.ai, provides advice for students, and shares his story.

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1040 E 4th Street
Tucson, AZ
85719

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 4pm

Website

http://cs.arizona.edu/

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