iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Bhawana Chhaglani recently successfully defended her #ManningCICS 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.

Young woman smiling with Golden Gate Bridge in background.

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Nelson Evbarunegbe recently defended his #ManningCICS PhD dissertation on using machine learning to predict molecular properties. Using the bacterium that causes TB as a case study, he developed tools to help identify promising drug candidates more efficiently. Congratulations, Nelson!

A man wearing a white shirt and black tie, looking at the camera.

110

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

#ManningCICS 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. Play the latest version of Complexle: vist.ly/5gvtr

Person with glasses and a t-shirt sitting outside with greenery in the background.

130

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The Computer Science Laboratories are officially open—and on Sept. 10, we’re celebrating. Join us for a ribbon-cutting, open house, student-guided tours, hands-on demos, and undergraduate research. 📅 Sept. 10 | 1–5 p.m. Learn more + RSVP: vist.ly/5geiv

Modern glass building with people walking at dusk.

Multi-level office interior with glass walls and people walking.

People working in a robotics lab with robots and equipment.

Modern staircase with sunlight and shadows in an interior space.

020

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

#ManningCICS helped shape the inaugural ACM Sustainability Week in Banff, Alberta, Canada, bringing leadership and research expertise to explore how computing can help reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency, and strengthen complex energy systems. Read more: vist.ly/5g8jk

Mountain lake with orange-lit peaks and blue water at sunset.

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

What would it look like if digital technology put people first? On Sept. 15, Francine Berman joins Jim Kurose for a #ManningCICS conversation on building safer, more dependable, accountable technology. Learn more & register: vist.ly/5g7ez

Smiling person against a blurred background with text promoting Dean's Lecture Series 2026 at UMass Amherst.

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

#ManningCICS Assistant Professor VP Nguyen and his team are building the system integration platform and computer architecture for wearable sensors designed to monitor both mother and fetus in real time. Read more: vist.ly/5g5x3

Six people standing in an office, some smiling, with shelves in the background.

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

⭐ We’re proud to recognize #ManningCICS PhD student Tanya Chowdhury, who has successfully defended her dissertation, “Interpreting Ranking Models: From Feature Attributions to Mechanistic Comprehension”!

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

⭐ Congratulations to #ManningCICS PhD student Kunjal Panchal, who successfully defended her dissertation, “Advancing Machine Learning for Resource-Constrained Environments”! Panchal will join Adobe Research after graduating in May, and we look forward to seeing the impact of her work.

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

⭐ Join us in congratulating #ManningCICS PhD candidate Khoshrav Doctor on the successful defense of his dissertation, "Learning Structure to Support Autonomous Control Decisions"! We're excited to see what he accomplishes next.

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Congratulations to #ManningCICS Professor Alexandra Meliou, who has been named a Distinguished Member of the @theofficialacm, one of the organization’s highest recognitions for technical excellence and sustained impact. Learn more: brnw.ch/21wZrsA

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

🌟 Congrats to #ManningCICS doctoral candidates Alireza Salemi and Cuong Than, who have been named 2025 Google PhD Fellows! Their projects focus on natural language feedback for multi-agent AI systems and on optimized network structures known as spanners, respectively. Read more: brnw.ch/21wXZf6

020

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

#ManningCICS Professor Emeritus Andrew G. Barto and alumnus Richard Sutton ’80MS, ’84PhD are featured in the latest issue of UMass Magazine for their research in reinforcement learning, which earned them the 2024 ACM A.M. Turing Award. Read more: www.cics.umass.edu/news/positiv...

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Upgrading your smartphone doesn’t have to mean the end of its usefulness. 📱 A team of researchers led by #ManningCICS Assistant Professor VP Nguyen is uncovering new ways to repurpose recycled smartphones into sustainable environmental monitoring tools. ♻️🌎 Learn more: brnw.ch/21wWUYs

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

Interested? Join us tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to learn more about the online MS in computer science—our courses, program requirements, application process, and more! Registration is requested. Sign up today at umass-amherst.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

umass-amherst.zoom.us

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 23/09/2025

UMass Amherst's top-ranked MS in Computer Science is also offered online. If you're eager to learn how to use AI and other advanced computing skills to solve complex problems, this 30-credit master's is your degree.

100

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Additionally, Assistant Professor Mingda Qiao, who was hired in 2024, arrived on campus in July, and Professor Katrin Erk began in September as a joint appointment with the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, UMass Amherst (@umasshfa.bsky.social). Read more: www.cics.umass.edu/news/six-new...

cics.umass.edu

CICS Announces the Hiring of New Faculty in 2025

The Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) at UMass Amherst announces the appointment of six new tenure-track and teaching faculty in 2025.

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Joining us are: *Assistant Professor Yicong Huang (starting Fall 2027) *Assistant Professor Neha Makhija (Fall 2025) *Teaching Faculty James Perretta (Fall 2025) *Teaching Faculty Ella Tuson (Fall 2025) *Distinguished Professor Holly Yanco (Fall 2025) *Assistant Professor Wenting Zhao (Fall 2026)

100

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

#ManningCICS is excited to announce the hiring of six #newfaculty members in 2025, bringing our cohort of tenure-stream and teaching faculty to 94 🎉.

From top left to right: Assistant Professor Yicong Huang, Assistant Professor Neha Makhija, Teaching Faculty James Perretta.

From bottom left to right: Teaching Faculty Ella Tuson, Distinguished Professor Holly Yanco, Assistant Professor Wenting Zhao.

100

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

#ManningCICS Associate Professor Ivan Lee has been named editor-in-chief of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference (EMBC) Proceedings, the flagship publication of the world’s largest biomedical engineering conference. Read more: www.cics.umass.edu/news/ivan-le...

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Last week, we caught up with first-year undergraduate students and our brand new dean at the #ManningCICS Come Home to Your College event to talk about what they're most excited about for the coming semester. 🍎✨ #Computing4CommonGood #Classof2029

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

New students, new semester, same shared mission of #Computing4theCommonGood 💫 #ManningCICS is excited to welcome our new and returning students with best wishes for the start of a new academic year.

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

⬇️🏗️ Our answer to "What have you been up to this summer?" Stay tuned for an update on opening day...

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Meet the new #ManningCICS dean, Keith Marzullo. In this short video, hear from Dean Marzullo, reflecting on his journey to @umassamherst.bsky.social and shares a vision for the next chapter of the college, fueled by a spirit of collaboration and a commitment to the common good. youtu.be/VmFnLEhyY1s

youtu.be

Meet the Dean — Keith Marzullo

YouTube video by Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) has released a new white paper, "Envisioning Possible Futures for AI Research," co-authored by #ManningCICS professors David Jensen and Holly Yanco that maps 6 possible directions for AI research. Read the white paper: cccblog.org/2025/07/31/e....

cccblog.org

Envisioning the Next AI Revolution Beyond Current Paradigms » CCC Blog

The world is buzzing about artificial intelligence (AI), driven by the remarkable advancements in deep neural networks, large language models, and other types of foundation models. But what’s next? A ...

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

A new AI-powered debugging tool developed by #ManningCICS PhD students Kyla Levin and Nicolas van Kempen and Professor Emery Berger integrates LLMs into a conversational interface to help programmers diagnose and resolve software bugs more efficiently. Read more: bit.ly/41wQdaa

011

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 16/07/2025

#ManningCICS Professor and Associate Chair of Faculty Development Alexandra Meliou has been elected vice chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Management of Data, where she plans to build on existing strengths, diversify membership, and foster greater inclusion. Read more: bit.ly/44RV5aR

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Associate Professor Mohammad Hajiesmaili and Associate Dean and Distinguished Professor Ramesh Sitaraman, in collaboration with @caltech.edu and @uofcalifornia.bsky.social researchers, have coauthored a new paper published in the July issue of Communications of the ACM. Read more: bit.ly/44prG91

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

#ManningCICS Assistant Professor Eugene Bagdasarian and Professor Shlomo Zilberstein have received a $500,000 Schmidt Sciences grant to advance critical research in AI safety. Read more: www.cics.umass.edu/news/bagdasa...

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

What if your smartwatch could charge itself just from your movement? 🏃‍♀️☕️ That’s what #ManningCICS students Rishi Nandurbarkar and Max Loper are building with Diel Technologies—and their idea just won the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship’s 2025 Innovation Challenge. Learn more: bit.ly/4kC1wVz

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

In her essay, “Is AI Good for Society?”, Berman reflects on the whirlwind debut of ChatGPT and argues for public-interest “digital infrastructure” that pairs innovation with clear accountability. Read more: hdsr.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/yn7p8jik...

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

How do we make sure rapid advances in generative AI actually serve the public good? #ManningCICS Research Professor and Stuart Rice Honorary Chair Francine Berman tackles that question in Harvard Data Science Review’s special issue “Future Shock: Grappling with the Generative AI Revolution.”

100

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Today, #ManningCICS Professor Emeritus Andrew G. Barto and Richard Sutton '84PhD will formally be presented with the prestigious 2024 ACM A.M. Turing Award. Explore how next-gen UMass researchers are building on their legacy to tackle society's toughest challenges. Read more: brnw.ch/21wTkvY

Image of (left) Andrew Barto and (right) Richard Sutton smiling while standing in front of a chalkboard

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Jensen emphasized that large language models aren't the final frontier and highlighted the ongoing evolution of AI, pointing to quantum AI, embodied AI, and neuro-symbolic AI as exciting future directions. ⚛️🧠 Read more at cccblog.org/2025/06/03/a...

cccblog.org

AI’s Path Forward: Evolving Paradigms and Societal Impact » CCC Blog

Artificial intelligence stands at a “great juncture,” a moment brimming with excitement and profound responsibility. This was the central theme of a recent insightful panel discussion where leading mi...

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) recently featured #ManningCICS Professor David Jensen in the panel "The Future of AI Horizons" at the CCC Computing Futures Symposium, where leading minds in AI discussed the incredible trajectory and profound responsibility of artificial intelligence.

100

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

📸 Sharing your own shots? Tag us and use #CICSGrad25 and #UMassGrad2025 so we can cheer you on!

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Caps off to our graduates! 🎓 On May 17, the #ManningCICS community celebrated the outstanding Class of 2025 at Senior Celebration. Professional & candid photos and the full ceremony recording are now live. View the photos: flic.kr/s/aHBqjCf13L Watch the recording: youtu.be/w1982pR0We8?...

100

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

🎉 Congratulations to Jennifer Donelson, assistant director of human resources, who received the #ManningCICS Outstanding Staff Award for 2025! Donelson was selected for her improvements to the college's onboarding process and staff mentoring program. Read more: www.cics.umass.edu/news/2025-ou...

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Congratulations to #ManningCICS Assistant Professor Ravi Karkar on earning an NSF CAREER award! His project will work to advance the design and theory of everyday self‑experimentation tech to allow more people to take charge of their own health data and decisions. Read more: brnw.ch/21wSAj7

020

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Congratulations to #ManningCICS Senior Teaching Faculty Marc Liberatore, one of four recipients of the inaugural UMass Amherst Delphi Leadership Award, honored for his sustained efforts to advance equity and improve working conditions for non-tenure-track colleagues. Read more: brnw.ch/21wSxes

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Congratulations to #ManningCICS Professor Shlomo Zilberstein, who has received the 2025 ACM/SIGAI Autonomous Agents Research Award for his foundational work on decentralized Markov Decision Processes (DEC-MDPs). Read more: www.cics.umass.edu/news/zilbers...

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

“These students have gone beyond expectations—not only mastering their coursework, but also contributing to groundbreaking research, exceptional leadership, advancing diversity and inclusion, and computing for the common good,” said Dean Laura Haas. Read more: www.cics.umass.edu/news/2025-ou...

cics.umass.edu

Eight CICS Graduating Seniors Honored for Outstanding Undergraduate Achievements, Four Receive Lifetime Undergraduate Course Assistant Awards

Eight graduating seniors have been chosen to receive the 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement Awards, the college's highest honor given to undergradu

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Additionally, August Huber, Carey Pope, Elena Li, and Zeina Zahoori (not pictured) have been honored with Lifetime Undergraduate Course Assistant Awards for their exceptional student leadership, support, and efforts to advance the college’s teaching mission.

100

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Congrats to the eight #ManningCICS seniors selected to receive 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Achievement Awards: Abby Tran, Angelika Ladia, Ishita Kakkar, Kaosisochukwu Nwosu, Luna Dziewietin, Mahika Arora, Paul Davis, and Ryan Bahlous-Boldi. 🏆👏

110

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

💛 From #ManningCICS students to you: "Thank you for making UMass a place of OPPORTUNITY! Thank you, Go UMass!" Keep the momentum going! Every gift today pushes us closer to unlocking $10,000 for experiential learning and student support. Give now or share with a friend! brnw.ch/21wSjM8

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

🎉 UMassGives Day 1 is here, and every gift counts toward our 200-gift goal to unlock an extra $10,000 for #ManningCICS students. 🕛 Power Hour alert (12–1 p.m. ET): Help CICS compete for up to an additional $2,000 in bonus funds with a gift to the Dean’s Opportunity Fund. Give now: brnw.ch/21wSigb

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Did you know our top-ranked MS in computer science is also offered online? 🖥️ Join us Wed., Apr. 30, at 10:00 a.m. for a virtual info session about our online & hybrid MS in CS programs—our courses, program requirements, application process, and more. Registration is required. RSVP: brnw.ch/21wSgUl

UMass Amherst | Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences
Online MS in Computer Sciences Information Session
Wednesday, April 30 | 10:00–11:00 AM ET
Virtual via Zoom

010

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

Here’s to a decade of innovation, connection, and community at @umassamherst.bsky.social. Thank you to everyone who made our #ManningCICS 10th Birthday Bash unforgettable! 🥳 #HBDCICS #Computing4CommonGood

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

🎂 Cheers to 10 years! We followed up our on-campus birthday celebration last week with a roadtrip to Boston. Attendees of the event, held at the UMass Club, heard from Dean Laura Haas and grew their networks with help from CICS Careers. 📷 View event photos: lnkd.in/eKX63Ut7 #ManningCICS #HBDCICS

000

Manning CICS @manningcics.bsky.social · 17/04/2025

Over 500 #ManningCICS students, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate a decade of growth and impact at the college's 10th Birthday Bash last Tuesday, Apr. 8. 📚 Read about the event: www.cics.umass.edu/stories/10th... 📷 View the photos: flic.kr/s/aHBqjC8w3v #HBDCICS #Computing4CommonGood

flic.kr

CICS Birthday Bash 04/08/2025

Explore this photo album by Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, UMass Amherst on Flickr!

000