Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, UMass Amherst

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Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, UMass Amherst

The Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst

09/17/2026

“I'd like my research to make internet access more resilient for people living under censorship.”

For PhD candidate Ali Zohaib, that goal is driving award-winning research with the Secure, Private Internet (SPIN) Research Group.

Zohaib and his collaborators uncovered a significant weakness in China’s Great Firewall, revealing how the country’s internet censorship system can become far less effective under moderate network traffic. Their findings have already helped inform new strategies for censorship-circumvention tools used to preserve access to information in restricted environments.

The research earned a 2026 Best Practical Paper Award from the Free and Open Communications on the Internet community and a Best Paper Honorable Mention at USENIX Security 2025.

Read more: https://brnw.ch/21x5M0O

09/15/2026

Join us tomorrow, Sept. 16, at 10 a.m. ET for a deep dive into the MS in computer science!

This virtual information session will address each element of the application process. Learn what’s involved in applying for the on-campus, online, and hybrid formats of the MS in CS program at . Registration is required.

Register today to secure your spot.
https://brnw.ch/21x5HuJ

09/14/2026

UMass Amherst is launching the Future of Food Initiative,
a $120 million effort bringing together expertise from across the university to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing the global food system—from climate change and sustainability to food safety and the needs of a growing population.

The initiative will include a new 36,000-square-foot research facility, a multidisciplinary collaborative research center, an endowed chair in food science, and three endowed faculty positions focused on the future of food.

For , the initiative offers new opportunities to bring computer science expertise into that interdisciplinary work.

“Computing will play an essential role in shaping the future of food,” said Manning CICS Dean Keith Marzullo. “From AI- and robotics-enabled production to new approaches at the intersection of food, health and sustainability, this initiative creates an opportunity to bring computing together with UMass Amherst’s extraordinary strengths across disciplines. By working collaboratively, we can accelerate discoveries that lead to healthier, more sustainable food systems and meaningful real-world impact.”
Learn more about the Future of Food Initiative: https://brnw.ch/21x5GjQ

09/08/2026

Welcome back, ! 🎉

A new academic year is officially underway, and we’re so happy to have our students back on campus.

A special welcome to the Class of 2030—you made it! We can’t wait to see what you’ll learn, build, discover, and experience during your time at UMass Amherst.

And to all of our returning students: welcome home. 💛

Here’s to new classes, new challenges, new connections, and a great year ahead. Have an amazing 2026–27 academic year!

09/04/2026

Your smartphone’s microphone can do more than simply pick up your voice.

Bhawana Chhaglani recently successfully defended her PhD dissertation, “Privacy-aware Audio Sensing Systems for Health and Wellness,” which explores how microphones in everyday devices can be used to monitor and improve environmental and human health without sacrificing privacy.

“My research showed that we can design intelligent sensing systems that retain useful health information without requiring access to sensitive conversations or personal information,” she said. “This work lays the foundation for trustworthy, privacy-conscious health technologies that people can use in their everyday lives.”

Bhawana has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at the Pennsylvania State University College of Information Sciences and Technology. Congratulations on your achievements!

09/03/2026

Every student has a reason they chose to be here.

As we prepare to welcome a new class, students share what drew them to the college—and what made Manning CICS feel like the right place to begin their academic journey.

Why did you choose Manning CICS, and what are you most excited to experience this year? Tell us in the comments!

09/02/2026

Developing new drugs can require costly, time-intensive laboratory experiments. Could machine learning help researchers identify promising candidates more efficiently?

Nelson Evbarunegbe explored that question in his PhD dissertation, “Machine Learning Techniques for Molecular Property Prediction and Applications to Mycomembrane Permeation,” which he recently defended.

Using the bacterium that causes tuberculosis as a case study, Nelson developed a computational framework for modeling, interpreting, and predicting molecular properties—work that could help streamline the process of identifying promising drug candidates.

Next, Nelson will join Eli Lilly and Company as a machine learning scientist. Congratulations on this exciting milestone!

09/01/2026

Ever wish your morning game of Wordle was a little more…complex?

student Isik Ulusan ’27 created Complexle, a Wordle-like game in which players put their theoretical computer science knowledge to the test, using six tries to guess a mystery complexity class from a series of hints. These classes group computational problems based on the resources—such as memory and time—a computer needs to solve them.

“I am an avid player of Wordle and similar games, and a member of Theory@UMass, which is a small club focusing on theoretical CS my friends and I founded last year,” Ulusan said. “I wanted a more gamified way to explore complexity theory, and a Wordle-style game format seemed to be a perfect fit.”

Play the latest version of Complexle: https://vist.ly/5gvtq

08/28/2026

The Computer Science Laboratories building is officially open—and on Sept. 10, we’re celebrating.

Join the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences and the broader UMass Amherst community for the Computer Science Laboratories Ribbon-Cutting Celebration, featuring student-guided building tours, hands-on demonstrations in the Physical Computing Makerspace and TEMP Lab, and a showcase of Manning CICS undergraduate research.

📅 Thursday, Sept. 10 | 3:00–5:00 p.m.
📍 Computer Science Laboratories, UMass Amherst

Join us for the full afternoon or stop by as your schedule allows.

Learn more and RSVP: https://vist.ly/5gein

08/26/2026

Computing has a critical role to play in building more sustainable energy systems.🏢 🌱

UMass Amherst researchers helped shape the inaugural ACM Sustainability Week, held this summer in Banff, Alberta, Canada, bringing leadership and research expertise to an event focused on how computing can help reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and strengthen increasingly complex energy systems.

“Computing is at the center of addressing challenges to energy systems and sustainability,” said David Irwin, professor and associate department head of electrical and computer engineering in the Riccio College of Engineering, UMass Amherst and adjunct professor. "Of course, rising energy demand from AI data centers is an emerging and important research topic ... but computing is also critical more broadly to optimizing society's increasingly complex energy system.”

The new event brought together the ACM e-Energy and ACM BuildSys research communities for the first time, with Manning CICS researchers contributing seven papers on topics ranging from computational decarbonization and energy-efficient buildings to workload optimization and sustainable infrastructure.

Read more about research and leadership during ACM Sustainability Week: https://vist.ly/5g8jp

Address

140 Governors Drive
Amherst, MA
01003

Telephone

+14135452744

Website

http://www.cics.umass.edu/

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