The UCLA Samueli School of Engineering has recently added six new faculty members to its Computer Science Department. Their collective expertise spans critical areas such as machine learning, quantum computing, and scalable software systems, enriching the department’s research and teaching capabilities.
Yangruibo (Robin) Ding will join UCLA Samueli as an assistant professor of computer science in July 2026. Ding’s research focuses on developing large language models (LLMs) and agentic systems for software engineering (SE). Most recently, he is interested in training LLMs with advanced symbolic reasoning capabilities (e.g., debugging, testing, program analysis, verification) and building efficient, collaborative agentic systems for complex software development and maintenance tasks. Ding earned his PhD from Columbia University.
Tobias Dürschmid joined UCLA Samueli as an assistant teaching professor in Summer 2025. Tobias’ research includes work on software engineering, computer science education, and pedagogy, specifically teaching how to systematically design, construct, and evaluate complex software systems. Following receiving his bachelor’s degree in IT Systems Engineering from the Hasso Plattner Institute at the University Of Potsdam in 2018, Dürschmid proceeded to obtain both his masters’ and PhD in Software Engineering from Carnegie Mellon.
Ying Sheng will join UCLA Samueli as an assistant professor of computer science in July 2026. She earned her Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University and specializes in large language models, machine learning systems, formal methods, and automated reasoning. Sheng has held research positions at UC Berkeley and Google, contributing to AI for code and smart contract verification. Her work has earned several accolades, including a16z’s Open Source AI Grant and MLCommons’ Rising Stars in Machine Learning and Systems. She has also developed high-performance tools for AI and code generation.
Hanrui Wang will join UCLA Samueli as an assistant professor of computer science in November 2025. Wang’s research centers on the intersection of machine learning, computer architecture, and quantum computing. He aims to enhance the synergy between AI and quantum computing by developing quantum computing applications and co-designs that improve the efficiency and speed of AI computations, as well as using AI techniques to optimize quantum-computing systems for greater reliability. Wang earned his doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, where he contributed to the Enabling Practical-scale Quantum Computing Expedition. He has received rising star awards from the International Solid-State Circuits Conference and MLCommons, along with best paper awards at various international conferences. Wang holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Fudan University in Shanghai.
J.D. Zamifrescu-Pereira joined UCLA Samueli as an assistant professor of computer science in Summer 2025. Zamifrescu-Pereira’s research is aimed at studying joint human/AI systems using a systems HCI approach. He looks to answer the question: how do we help more people do more with computing, especially collaboratively? In recent years. this work has focused on understanding and overcoming the challenges people face working with large pre-trained models and the systems we build with them. Zamifrescu-Pereira was awarded both his bachelor’s and master’s’ degrees in Computer Science from MIT before doing his PhD program at the University of California, Berkeley.
Lianmin Zheng will join UCLA Samueli as an assistant professor of computer science in July 2026. Zheng’s research is centered on the optimization of large-scale machine learning systems, with a focus on improving their efficiency and scalability. His work has led to the development of new algorithms and systems that significantly enhance the performance of deep learning frameworks. Zheng earned his doctorate in computer science from UC Berkeley, where his research on distributed machine learning earned him several accolades, including the Best Paper Award at the Conference on Systems and Machine Learning (SysML).
Together, these new faculty members bring a wealth of knowledge and a deep commitment to fostering an inclusive and innovative environment at UCLA Computer Science, further strengthening the department’s reputation as a leader in cutting-edge research and education.