The UC San Diego Computer Science and Engineering community gathered on Friday, June 5, 2026, for its annual End-of-Year Celebration & Awards Ceremony, an event that brought together students, faculty, and staff to reflect on the academic year’s accomplishments and honor members of the department reaching important milestones.
The celebration opened with a retirement luncheon recognizing four distinguished CSE faculty and staff members. Colleagues, students, and friends gathered to share stories, express gratitude, and celebrate the lasting contributions each retiree has made to the department and the broader UC San Diego community. The luncheon offered a warm and personal moment of reflection before the afternoon’s broader festivities began.
Following the luncheon, the celebration continued across the CSE Building, Lobby, and Bear Courtyard, where attendees were invited to take part in a series of activities designed to highlight the vibrancy and achievements of the department.
The program featured the presentation of student awards and scholarships, recognizing outstanding academic performance, research excellence, and leadership across all levels of study. These recognitions underscored the depth of talent within the CSE student community and the impactful work being done across disciplines.
Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, guests enjoyed live music performances by CSE student musicians, along with informal photo stations that captured memories from the day. Light refreshments were served throughout the event, encouraging conversation and connection among attendees.
The afternoon also included acknowledgements and well wishes for retiring faculty and staff, honoring their years of service and dedication to teaching, research, and community building within CSE.
The End-of-Year Celebration once again served as a meaningful close to the academic year—bringing the CSE community together to celebrate achievement, express appreciation, and look ahead to the future of the department.
2026 Undergraduate Student Awards
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Jacobs School Ring Ceremony Award for Excellence in CSE - Anya Chernova
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Alice Y. Wu Memorial Award - Darin Djapri
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Research - Siya Kamboj
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Research - Ritoban Roy-Chowdhury
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Research - Anthony Tong
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Teaching - Brenton Dunn
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Teaching - Sierra Myers
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Service and Leadership - Rudy Osuna
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Service and Leadership - Murou Wang
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Contributions to Diversity - Esther Chung
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Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Contributions to Diversity - Sachin Ramanathan
2026 Masters Student Awards
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Masters Award for Excellence in Research - Marshal Fisher
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Masters Award for Excellence in Teaching - Liam Hardy
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Masters Award for Excellence in Service and Leadership - Nathaniel Hernandez
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Masters Award for Excellence in Contributions to Diversity - Vaidehi Sinha
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Honorable Mention for Excellence in Research - Shambhavi Mittal
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Honorable Mention for Excellence in Teaching - Shaurya Raswan
2026 Doctoral Student Awards
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Doctoral Award for Excellence in Research - Anshul Shah
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Doctoral Award for Excellence in Research - Jianke Yang
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Doctoral Award for Excellence in Research - Yanru Chen
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Doctoral Award for Excellence in Teaching - Sang Yoon Byun
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Doctoral Award for Excellence in Teaching - Olivia Weng
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Doctoral Award for Excellence in Service and Leadership - Sumanth Rao
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Doctoral Dissertation Award - Evan Johnson
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Honorable Mention for Doctoral Dissertation - Rohan Mahapatra
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Honorable Mention for Doctoral Dissertation - Dongxia Wu
2026 Alumni Advisory Board Leadership Scholarships
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Adnan Barwaniwala
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Fong-Yu (Yang) Lin
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Gonzalo Allen-Perez
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Parth Trivedi
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Sachin Ramanathan
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Sarah Claire S. Balatbat
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Tammy Khong
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Helena Bender
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Jingran Zhang
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Justin Yang
By Jocelyn E. Bernardo