Welcome to the Computer Science Department
at the University of California, Santa Barbara!
Why Computer Science?
Computer Science is an exciting, challenging, and growing field that impacts the world and everyday life in countless ways.
Computer scientists are involved in creating technology and systems that are used in a wide range of industries, including medicine, communications, entertainment, manufacturing, business, and science. CS research pushes the state-of-the-art in computing theory and practice, and it leads to new technologies that change the world.
Despite all the impressive achievements of the field, we are convinced that there are many more exciting discoveries and applications of computer science yet to come, and you can be part of this process of exploration, discovery, and invention!
Chair's Message
Distinguished Professor Divyakant Agrawal
Welcome to the Computer Science Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara!
CS@UCSB is a special place where exciting research meets exceptional teaching against the backdrop of wonderful natural beauty. As faculty, students, and staff of CS@UCSB, we feel lucky to be part of an outstanding department in the most impactful academic discipline of our times while living in one of the most beautiful places in the world!
Our Mission
The CS department at UC Santa Barbara is widely recognized as one of the top Computer Science departments in the nation, featuring a highly distinguished faculty and excellent students.
Our culture of education and research strongly encourages collaborative, entrepreneurial, supportive, multidisciplinary solutions-driven efforts at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our students and graduates shape the future of science and engineering here and around the world. We are committed to providing a respectful and inclusive environment for all members of our community, free from all forms of discrimination and harassment.
The Computer Science Department seeks to prepare undergraduate and graduate students for productive careers in industry, academia, and government, by providing an outstanding environment for teaching and research in the core and emerging areas of the discipline. We bring computational approaches and solutions to some of society’s most vital and complex issues. We are presently engaged in research that promises game-changing breakthroughs in computing and will bring about advances in important areas such as healthcare, communications, education, government, energy efficiency, and the environment. We believe that we will help transform the future; that computing is central to shaping and improving the world by enabling data-driven scientific discoveries and bringing a world of rich, easily-accessible information to individuals everywhere.
The department has been on an impressive upward trajectory for many years, fueled by the quality and impact of our work, the recognition of our faculty, and the success of our graduates.
Announcements
CS Talk: Thursday, March 6, 2 pm, HFH 1132
Title: Anonymizing Wireless Network Discovery
Abstract: With the demand for anytime, anywhere connectivity comes the potential to track users as they move through the wireless world around them. All of a user’s Wi-Fi-enabled devices have to navigate through the potential public and private networks available to them. To aid fast discovery of Wi-Fi networks, devices broadcast probe packets containing information such as the MAC address, preferred access points, and vendor specific configurations. This information, when correlated across probes, can reveal insights about devices and users, such as the type of device being used and the locations they frequently visit. To avoid such leakage, devices utilize MAC randomization to conceal their factory-assigned addresses and break information leakage patterns that can be exploited by attackers. However, MAC randomization alone is insufficient for privacy, including current attack models an our new timing-based attack model. In response to these vulnerabilities, Jittery provides a suite of configuration and timing-related changes that act as defense mechanisms to prevent these timing based attacks from succeeding.
CS Talk: Wednesday, Feb 19, 1-2 pm, Henley Hall 1010
Title: AG2: The Open-Source AgentOS for Agentic AI
Abstract: This presentation will address the future landscape of AI applications and the ways in which we can enable every developer to create them. It will examine the trend of agentic AI and the fundamental design considerations for agentic AI programming frameworks. Subsequently, it will explore a pioneering initiative, AG2, outlining the primary concepts and its application across a diverse range of tasks and industries, achieving top rankings in challenging benchmarks, and leading research advancements. The talk will conclude with open questions.
Colloquium: Wednesday, Feb. 3, 3:30 pm, HFH 1132
Title: Software-inspired techniques for Hardware Security
Abstract: We have entered an era where new hardware flourishes at an unprecedented pace and with unseen diversity. We are also living in an era where security and safety are paramount, and where the potential impact of a single bug can be catastrophic. Hence, we urgently need foundations to detect as many hardware bugs as possible before their deployment. Hardware validation is universally recognized as complex, expensive, and tedious. Despite genuine best efforts, the last decade has shown that the industry is incapable of producing non-trivial bug-free hardware. What will then happen with the rise of open-source hardware? Without effective and easy-to-adopt solutions for validation, it is hard to believe that the open-source hardware community will be able to produce safe and secure hardware, despite its best intentions.
Interestingly, the exact same situation occurred in the software world some decades ago. Software was plagued with myriads of bugs and security issues, after which the software community developed a formidable set of tools and methodologies to detect bugs and security issues. Could we adapt some of these tools and methodologies to hardware?
News Spotlight
In December, UCSB chancellor Henry Yang announced the appointment of UCSB computer science professor Timothy Sherwood as the new dean of the College of Creative Studies (CCS), saying, “In his more than two decades at UC Santa Barbara, Professor Sherwood has established an outstanding record of service to our campus community.”
Congratulations to Professor Christopher Kruegel for being named a 2025 IEEE Fellow for contributions to security, malware detection, and vulnerability analysis. The grade of Fellow recognizes unusual distinction in the profession and is reserved for a person with an outstanding record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest. The accomplishments that are being honored have contributed importantly to the advancement or application of engineering, science, and technology, bringing the realization of significant value to society at large.
Thanks to all the UCSB Computer Science alumni who joined us this weekend at our first 2024 Computer Science Alumni event in Palo Alto, CA. We enjoyed sharing with you the latest news from the department and learning about your many successes in the field. We look forward to many more of these events in the future!