Welcome to the digital newsletter from the University of Florida Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE). Each semester, you will receive an email highlighting department updates and successes. We look forward to connecting with you.
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Spring 2026: Message from the Chair
Dear friends, faculty, alumni and students, With the spring semester rapidly coming to a close, now is a great time to take stock of our remarkable work in the Department…
Patrick Traynor, Ph.D.
John and Mary Lou Dasburg Preeminent Chair in Engineering
Professor
Interim Chair
Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering
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ECE ‘star Gator’ Farimah Farahmandi wins 40 Under 40 alumni award
Farimah Farahmandi, Ph.D., is considered an emerging leader in hardware security verification and trustworthy semiconductor design, a field vital to national security and the global semiconductor ecosystem.
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Thermal cameras used in drones and robots can be tricked by heat sources, study finds
As thermal cameras become commonplace on autonomous drones and vehicles, a University of Florida engineering professor is working to make sure they can’t be maliciously tricked into “seeing” things that aren’t there.
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CISE celebrates a new class of distinguished alumni
This spring, the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) honored five alumni and their extraordinary achievements during its annual alumni awards ceremony.
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Breaking AI on purpose: How researchers are helping make artificial intelligence safer
University of Florida researcher Sumit Kumar Jha, Ph.D., is focused on strengthening the security measures built into AI tools to ensure they are safe for all to use.
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UF researcher explores ‘appropriate’ student reliance on AI
Neha Rani, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, is working to understand the factors that contribute to students’ patterns of AI reliance.
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Award-winning UF team targets nonconsensual nude photo apps to protect privacy
Researchers from the University of Florida, Georgetown University and the University of Washington have earned the NYU Center for Cybersecurity Awareness Week’s Social Impact award for their study of AI-based nudification apps that generate nonconsensual nude images in seconds.
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CISE emeritus professor Sumi Helal among three 2025 National Academy of Inventors Fellows at UF
The National Academy of Inventors welcomed three new Gators as NAI Fellows this month: Abdelsalam (Sumi) Helal, Ph.D., Chris Malachowsky, M.S. and Mark Sheplak, Ph.D.
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Engineering doctoral student a three-minute thesis winner
Doctoral student Abhishek Kulkarni earned third place in the University of Florida’s 2025 Three Minute Thesis competition, becoming the only finalist and winner representing the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering.