Dear CISE community,
I am honored to serve as the interim chair of the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering during this exciting time of innovation and growth. First, I extend my sincere gratitude to former chair and Distinguished Professor Juan E. Gilbert for his leadership and unwavering commitment to the department. His vision strengthened our position as a global leader in research, education and service.
Looking ahead, I am inspired by the remarkable achievements of our faculty, students and alumni. Recent research breakthroughs underscore our department’s critical role in advancing technology that impacts society.
In this issue, we showcase our pioneering work in deepfake audio detection by collaborators Kevin Butler, Ph.D., and Susan Nittroue, Ph.D. This research holds promise for the future of cybersecurity and helps hearing-impaired individuals in identifying fraud.
Further, a UF team led by Gilbert — with a paper authored by DeKita Rembert, Ph.D. — earned an Outstanding Paper Award for “InterestMe Math,” a project that personalizes math word problems by using students’ career interests to reduce equity gaps in learning outcomes.
Finally, you will read about how UF’s Sara Rampazzi, Ph.D., and other international researchers revealed a critical privacy vulnerability in digital microphones that unintentionally emit intelligible radio signals, potentially allowing eavesdropping through walls.
We also celebrate outstanding faculty excellence.
Congratulations to Prabhat Mishra, Ph.D., on receiving a prestigious University-level mentoring award. He also was honored with Inventions of the Year awards by UF Innovate Tech Licensing for his groundbreaking work in quantum computing and cybersecurity.
Read about Eakta Jain, Ph.D. and Butler, who are pioneering artificial intelligence methods to anonymize autism study videos, protecting privacy while preserving key behaviors. Tamer Kahveci, Ph.D., was appointed editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, recognizing his leadership.
In this issue we also celebrate significant milestones and transitions.
We bid farewell to Professor Joseph N. Wilson, Ph.D., who retired after an incredible 41 years of service. His contributions to teaching, research and mentorship left an enduring legacy that will continue to inspire future generations.
We’re excited to welcome five new faculty members: Yuanyuan Lei, Ph.D., Marvin Andujar, Ph.D., Sumit Kumar Jha, Ph.D., Jingwei Sun, Ph.D., and Hoang-Dung Tran, Ph.D.
Also featured is the UF Student Information Security Team, which earned second place at the 2025 Global Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition, and took top honors in the “Cloud 9” and “Best Slide” categories.
Be sure to read about Ashley Hart, a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science who was honored as Mentor of the Year by the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation for her dedication to uplifting others through mentorship.
As we celebrate these remarkable milestones and achievements, I invite you to join me in congratulating our faculty members, students and alumni. Your support is essential to our department’s continued growth, success and global leadership in Computer & Information Science. I look forward to increased interaction with our alumni, innovation in computing, and impact far beyond the walls of Malachowsky Hall.
Sincerely,
Patrick Traynor, Ph.D.
CISE, Interim Dept. Chair.