SFU School of Computing Science

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Ke Li and Assistant Professor Jason Peng for their appointments as Canada CIFAR AI Chairs!

Canada CIFAR AI Chairs is a program that recruits the world’s leading AI researchers, providing dedicated research funding to support their research programs and to train the next generation of AI leaders.

Learn more about their research here: https://ow.ly/lFy250ZbVSc

Simon Fraser University | SFU Applied Sciences

Congratulations to all of our CS graduates! 🎉🎓

After years of dedication, long nights, and unforgettable moments, this milestone is one to celebrate with the friends, family, and community who supported you along the way. We’re so proud of everything you’ve achieved and excited to see the paths you’ll shape next.

Swipe through for some of our favourite moments!

Simon Fraser University | SFU Applied Sciences

Congratulations to Computing Science graduand Asmita Srivastava! 🎓✨

From exploring cybersecurity and data engineering through co-op placements to helping develop an award-winning AI solution at RBC Amplify, Asmita has embraced every opportunity to learn, grow, and innovate. Her journey at SFU has been shaped by curiosity, collaboration, and a willingness to put herself out there—qualities that have led her to a full-time role as an AI Engineer with RBC after graduation.

Asmita’s advice for students: “Put yourself out there. Some of the most valuable opportunities come from the connections you build.”

Join us in celebrating Asmita and all of our graduating students as they prepare to cross the stage tomorrow. We can’t wait to see the impact she will make in the world of AI and technology.

Read more about Asmita’s journey and involvement within the School of Computer Science here: https://ow.ly/BOqE50Z9wqY

Simon Fraser University | SFU Applied Sciences

A full day of ideas, collaboration, and momentum for HCI in the age of AI!

On May 22, Simon Fraser University hosted the inaugural Salish SIGCHI Celebration of Research, a landmark event that brought together BC’s growing human-computer interaction (HCI) community for a dynamic, full-day event.

Hosted by the ACM Salish SIGCHI professional chapter, the celebration welcomed approximately 100 researchers, students, and industry leaders for a lively program of lightning talks, panel discussions, and networking focused on the future of HCI research, teaching, and design as AI continues to reshape how we interact with technology. The chapter continues to grow, with more than 20 faculty members from the SFU School of Computing Science and the School of Interactive Arts + Technology now actively involved.

This milestone event created a rare opportunity for researchers and students to connect in person around shared interests in human-centred computing, interaction design, accessibility, and emerging technologies, and marked an exciting step forward for the newly formed chapter.

Thank you to SFU VINCI, SFU ViVA, UVic SeAIR, and UBC Computer Science, whose contributions helped bring this inaugural gathering to life.

Read more about the Salish SIGCHI Celebration of Research here: https://ow.ly/xvfu50Z7IIb

SFU Applied Sciences

Last week was a big week for SFU Computing Science! We were proud to host the Canadian Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, & Vision (AI/CRV) 2026, welcoming researchers, students, and industry leaders from across Canada and around the world. Over five days, the conference brought together some of the brightest minds in AI, robotics, and computer vision to share research, spark new collaborations, and explore innovations with real-world impact.

From keynote talks to poster sessions and workshops, AI/CRV highlighted emerging research directions while encouraging interdisciplinary exchange. Attendees connected directly with speakers, dived deeper into research, and explored how these innovations can shape real-world impact.

Thank you to our sponsors, speakers, organizers, and attendees for making this year's conference a success. We're especially proud of the many SFU faculty, students, and researchers who helped shape the event through their research, leadership, and contributions behind the scenes. Events like AI/CRV reflect the strength of our community and our continued commitment to advancing impactful, interdisciplinary research.

Read more about AI/CRV 2026 here: https://ow.ly/bsi450Z7mZz

Simon Fraser University | SFU Applied Sciences

🎓The countdown to convocation is ON! Just one week until we celebrate the incredible achievements of our future computer scientists!

Are you graduating, or cheering on someone who is? We can’t wait to see the smiles, excitement, and proud moments as we gather to celebrate on Wednesday, June 10!

Join us for the Faculty Reception immediately following the ceremony in ASB. Connect with fellow graduates, strike a pose at our photo booth, and enjoy some cake as we mark this special milestone together.

Congratulations, Class of 2026, we’re excited to celebrate with you!

Simon Fraser University | SFU Applied Sciences

Interested in Reinforcement Learning?

Join us on June 11 from 11:30AM to 12:30PM for a lecture by Csaba Szepesvari, who is a team lead of DeepMind’s Foundation team, a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Alberta, and a Principal Investigator of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute.

In his talk, “Foundations and Frontiers in Reinforcement Learning Theory”, Szepesvari offers a high-level overview of core questions in RL theory, with a focus on generalization, sample efficiency, and computational tractability.

The Distinguished Lecture Series provides the opportunity to meet world-renowned researchers to learn about the latest leading-edge research.

No registration required, see you there!

Simon Fraser University | SFU Applied Sciences

Congratulations to Ali Mahdavi-Amiri on being named a recipient of the CHCCS 2026 Early Career Researcher Award (Graphics)!

The CHCCS 2026 Early Career Researcher Award (Graphics) is presented to Dr. Ali Mahdavi-Amiri for his pioneering contributions to geometric modeling, digital fabrication, and generative 3D methods. This award recognizes his technical excellence, his commitment to educating the next generation of graphics researchers, and his burgeoning leadership as a world-class researcher in computer graphics.

Ali Mahdavi-Amiri is an Assistant Professor in the Simon Fraser University School of Computing Science and the Director of the Master of Science in Professional Computer Science program. He is also the Vice President of Research at MARZ VFX, a Canadian start-up focused on AI applications in visual effects. His research focuses on Computer Graphics, with specialties in Geometric Modeling, Digital Fabrication, Machine Learning, and Computer Vision. His work has been published in leading venues including SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia, ACM Transactions on Graphics, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, ICLR, NeurIPS, and Computer Graphics Forum. His research has also been recognized through several prestigious awards, including the NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, J.B. Hyne Research Innovation Award, and Michael A. J. Sweeney Award.

Learn more about his research here: https://ow.ly/SiXe50Z3jPs

Simon Fraser University | SFU Applied Sciences

The School of Computing Science is proud to host the Canadian Conference on AI, Robots & Vision (AI/CRV) 2026, a premier national event that brings together the AI and computer vision community to share cutting-edge research, spark collaboration, and drive innovation forward.

This prestigious event will bring together leading AI and robotics researchers, practitioners, and professionals from academia, industry, government, and non-governmental organizations. The conference consists of four days of main conference sessions and one day of workshops focused on various themes.

Through involvement in events like the AI/CRV, SFU’s School of Computer Science continues to strengthen its role as a hub for innovation, talent development, and leadership in artificial intelligence and computer vision.

This leadership is further reflected in the conference’s organization with Assistant Professor Ke Li and Associate Professor Mo Chen serving as General Chairs.

Learn more about AI/CRV 2026 here: https://ow.ly/b53U50Z2pj3

Simon Fraser University | SFU Applied Sciences

Advancing Artificial Intelligence and Vision Research: SFU Computing Science at AI/CRV 2026 Each year, the Canadian Conference on AI, Robots & Vision (AI/CRV) brings together leading AI and robotics researchers, practitioners, and professionals from academia, industry, government, and non-governmental organizations, for a focused exchange of ideas, research, and collaboration. This year, t...