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Ryan Wong, CS PhD, was selected as a 2026 ML and Systems Rising Star for his part as a leading senior student in AI innovation. Wong, who is advised by CS assistant professor Saugata Ghose, was one of only 39 selected by MLCommons from a field of over 170 applicants. The program identifies early-to-late stage and recently graduated PhD students and other researchers to develop community, foster research and career growth, enable collaborations and discuss career opportunities among the rising generation of researchers at intersections of machine learning and systems. 

Aidan Andrews, a physics undergraduate student, won the Illinois Innovation Award from the Grainger College of Engineering. Andrews is harnessing generative AI and autonomous agent platforms to transform how farmers manage complex agricultural operations. The award honors Illinois students for excellence in groundbreaking innovation or translational research that addresses real-world problems and has the potential to make a significant impact. Andrews, advised by CS professor Vikram Adve, is the co-founder of AgAnswers AI. 

Kiran Hombal, a CS Ph.D. student advised by Ram Alagappan and Aishwarya Ganesan, has won the Distinguished Shadow PC Reviewer Award
at EuroSys 2026, one of the premier conferences of computing systems research.