Current Students
Ph.D.
Recruiting Columbia Graduate Students for 2025.
Former (most recent) UF PhD Students
Michael Perez – Ph. D Candidate
Aashish Dhawan – Ph. D Candidate
Chair Masters Thesis
Tan Manh Nguyen, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Masters
Youzhi Wang, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Shon Shtern, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Zian Song, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Youzhi Wang, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Sungjin Kang, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Afsana Salahudeen, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Rashmi Chelliah, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Jisoo kim, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Deepak Surya, Operations Research, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Undergraduate
Tobechi Onwuka, Computer Science, Columbia University, Barnard College
Enrista Ilo, Computer Sceince, Columbia University, Barnard College
Skyla Cui, Computer Sceince, Columbia University, Barnard College
Joanna Nieh, Computer Sceince, Columbia University, Barnard College
Alan Ma, Mathematics, Columbia University, Columbia College
Eitan Feifel, Computer Science and Philosophy, Columbia University
Sandra Zelen, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Yolanda Zhu, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
John Drotos,Computer Science, Columbia University, Columbia College
Alexandra Koletsos, Computer Science and Mathematics, Columbia University
Aishani Srikumar, Computer Science, Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science
Alumni
Chair Ph.D. Committee
Shashank Ranjan, Computer Science, Graduated May 2020
Qile Zhu, Computer Science (2015-2016)
Member Ph.D Committee
Brendan David-John, Computer Science, (2018-2020)
Ronald Wilson, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Graduated June 2021
Icaro Alzuru, Computer Engineering, Graduated May 2020
Hao Gan, Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Graduated December 2018
Daeun Choi, Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Graduated August 2017
Michael Borish, Computer Science, Graduated December 2016
Chair M.S. Committee (M.S. Thesis)
Daniel Quintero, Computer Science, Graduated December 2021
Manjog Singh, Computer Science, Expected Graduation December 2021
Shashank Ranjan, Computer Science, Graduated August 2016
Chair M.S. Committee (M.S. Project)
Utkarsh Garg, Computer Science, Graduated August 2016
MS Project Qile Zhu, Computer Science, Graduated August 2015
Masters Independent Studies
Prathyusha Kanumalla, 2017
Qingchao Zhang, 2018
Sandeep Basavaraju, 2018
Prateek Saxena, 2018,
Manjog Singh, 2020
Daniel Quintero, 2020-2022
Dipali Patidar, 2022
Undergraduate Senior Projects
Thomas Williamson, 2015
Abin John, 2015
Nathan Caldwell, 2015
Sean Stanley, 2019
Emily Elia, 2019
Alana Erickson, 2020
Erce Phillips, 2020
Danilo de Souza, 2020
Sean Allen Young, 2020
Daniel Quintero, 2020
Roberto Duharte, 2020
Derek Baltar, 2020
Alex Katros, 2020
Baker Griffith, 2020
Ryan Fernandez, 2020
Undergraduate Independent Studies
Jennifer Cremer, 2015
Nathan Dekray, 2016
Akira Sewnath, 2016
Vivian Garcia, 2017
Carlene Cuadra, 2017, 2018
Emily Elia, 2018
Marc Diaz, 2018, 2019
Hao Huang, 2018, 2019
Adam Lizek, 2019
Marc Diaz, 2019
Max Barkow, 2019
Zihan Shu, 2019
Americos Perez, 2020
Samuel Mercado, 2020
Dillon McGovern, 2020
Irene Polo, 2020
Sohil Kollipara, 2022
Zayra Rojo-Benitez, 2022
Nicholas Bonhoure, 2022
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Michael Perez – Ph. D Candidate
Michael Perez is a Ph.D. student in the University of Florida’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) department.
Michael graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Florida Polytechnic University.
During his undergraduate years, he was a member of the Rhinoplasty Research Group at FPU, whose main goal is to apply novel computer science methodologies to the field of rhinoplasty. He worked on numerous research projects with this team, including performing a systematic review of rhinoplasty literature and developing a web interface for analyzing 3D models of the human face.
Michael’s research include deep learning, computer vision and computer graphics.
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Aashish Dhawan – Ph. D Candidate
Aashish Dhawan is currently a Ph.D. student in the department of Computer Science at the University of Florida.
Aashish graduated with a Bachelors in Technology degree (Computer Science) from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, India in 2019.
Aashish worked on undergraduate research projects including projects in robotics and computer vision. After obtaining his Bachelors degree, he worked as a Research Assistant at UBITECH Sydney Artificial Intelligence centre under the guidance of Dr. Dacheng Tao and Jingya Wang.
Aashish’s research interests include computer vision and quantum computing, working with multispectral satellite images and high-resolution medical images.
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Nicholas Bonhoure
Nicholas Bonhoure (nbonhoure@ufl.edu), a transfer student at the University of Florida with a major in Computer Science and minor in Engineering Innovation, plans to further his education to the graduate level, focusing on Deep Learning and Engineering Innovation. He hopes to use his education and goals to live each day to make the world a better place than the day before.
Nicholas grew up in South Florida with his two older siblings. Following high school graduation, he attended Palm Beach State College which, is where he received his Associate of Arts degree with a focus on computer science. As part of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, Nicholas spent most of his time exploring and developing his educational and career goals, realizing the importance of using modern technology for the betterment of both society and the environment. In doing so, Nicholas developed a true passion for learning, thus realizing the kind of impact he intends to make.
His time and focus while attending the University of Florida have been to further his education in various aspects of computer science and engineering. These include defense security, deep learning, graphics, and programming language concepts.
Nicholas’ dedication to the world around him and his education comes from the belief that life is what you are willing to put into it, and with that, each day is its own opportunity to pursue your dreams.
Nicholas’ goals come deep-rooted from his yearning to do good and love for the outdoors, whether that includes paddle boarding, surfing, hiking, skating, or just plain old being in nature. He intends to use his education to impact what he enjoys in the world, hoping that generations following will do the same.
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Dipali Patidar
Dipali Patidar is a graduate student at the University of Florida’s Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) department.
Dipali graduated in 2016 from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) India with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics and Communications. Post-graduation, she worked as a Senior Software Developer at Times Internet Limited for five years before joining the University of Florida to pursue her master’s degree.
She has acquired a deep understanding of backend development, distributed & scalable systems, system architecture design, NLP, ML, and DL from her past professional experience.
Dipali’s research includes deep learning, NLP, computer vision, and computer graphics. -
Chair Ph.D Committee
Michael Perez, Computer Science, Expected Graduation May 2026
Aashish Dhwan, Computer Science, Expected Graduation May 2027 -
Member Ph.D. Committee
Jeremy Youngquist, Computer Science, Expected Graduation, May 2022
Ruiliang Gao, Computer Engineering, May 2022
Ethan Wilson, Computer Engineering, Expected Graduation May 2026
Jennifer Cremer, Computer Science, Expected Graduation, May 2025
Sara Pickernell, Psychology, Expected Graduation May 2025
Sydney Lower, Physics, Expected Graduation May 2024
Jeremy Youngquist, Computer Science, May 2022 -
Member Master’s Thesis Committee
Jinru Yang, Computer Science, April 2022
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Alumni
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Shashank Ranjan Ph.D. (Alumni, Senior Software Development Engineer at AMD)
Shashank Ranjan is currently a Ph.D. student in the Computer Science program at the University of Florida.
Shashank graduated from National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India with a Bachelor of Technology degree with focus on Computer Science in 2012. Post graduation, he worked as Software Engineer at Informatica Corp. for two years before joining University of Florida to pursue his master’s degree.
These two years of professional experience provided him with a comprehensive understanding of the business software development process from product design to customer support. He received his Master of Science degree in computer science from University of Florida in the summer of 2016.
Shashank’s research interests include computer graphics, multispectral imaging and three dimensional display systems.
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Qingchao Zhang – MS
Qingchao Zhang is currently a M.S. student in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at University of Florida, having started fall 2017.
He graduated in 2017 from Dalian University of Technology with a B.S. in Automotive Engineering. He worked on undergraduate research projects ranging from autonomous vehicles to heterogeneous collaborative design.
Qingchao is working on the project oncologists incorporate computer vision algorithms in several diagnostic tools in GILM lab.
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Samuel Mercado
Samuel Mercado is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering. His interests lie primarily in full-stack development. One of his most notable past experiences was co-founding a startup company – named BrewGills – with several colleagues, where he gained valuable skills in web development, leadership, and marketing.
Samuel is from Kissimmee, Florida, and has a strong passion for the outdoors, sustainability, and photography.
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Emily Elia
Emily Elia is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida. Currently, she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a minor in Innovation.
Emily has experience as a web developer for the University of Florida Center for Pre- collegiate education and Training and is a Student Software Developer at the University of Florida Clinical and Translation Science Institute. Emily is also an active member in Women in Computer Science and Engineering, the Data Science Initiative and the Open Source Club.
Irene Polo
Irene Polo is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida. She is an active member of the Audio Engineering Society and a student mentor for Alachua County Public Schools. Irene has volunteered as a middle school computer-programming instructor through UF TYPE and as a STEM Lab Assistant at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention.
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Carlene Cuadra – Undergraduate
Carlene Cuadra is a second year Computer Science student minoring in Digital Arts and Sciences. Her interest is in computer graphics and biomedical research.
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Vivian Garcia – Undergraduate
Vivian is an undergraduate student at the University of Florida. Currently, she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics and Computer Science.
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