Research

A surgeon wearing a virtual reality headset

Pitt–UPMC Team Performs First Mixed-Reality–Facilitated Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery for Pituitary Tumor

A University of Pittsburgh and UPMC team, including SCI's Associate Professor Jacob Biehl and doctoral students Griffin Hurt and Ethan Crosby, has performed the first endoscopic endonasal approach to the skull base for resection of a pituitary tumor using mixed reality integrated into the operative workflow.

SCI Faculty Member Weighs In: How big a threat is AI to entry-level jobs?

A new paper by SCI's Morgan Frank cautions that graduate prospects in AI-exposed industries were worsening before the launch of ChatGPT in 2022. AI is not the only source of economic uncertainty; young workers always tend to get hit hard when older workers cling onto their current jobs.
Students in Ecuador

Storytelling meets emerging tech in Pitt’s Digital Narrative and Interactive Design program

In the joint program offered by SCI and the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of English, students get hands-on experiences assisting communities through a blend of storytelling and technology. One example is through the Computing Technologies for Cultural Preservation capstone, which sent students to Ecuador to document Ecuadorian Indigenous cultures.
Lu Wang

Transforming Trust: The Essential Role of Reliable Evaluations in AI and Language Models

The second talk in the 2025-26 Dean’s Spotlight Series, featuring the University of Michigan’s Dr. Lu Wang, explored how AI tools are evaluated as trustworthy and how they can be improved by future research.

Majority of job hunters turn to AI to help land next gig; SCI faculty member weighs in

Morgan Frank, an assistant professor in the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems at the University of Pittsburgh, said using AI to connect employers and job seekers is not necessarily new.
man wearing glasses

ISP Student Wins Magna Cum Laude Science Poster Award at RSNA 2025 for Research on Developing Advanced AI Models for Medical Imaging

ISP PhD Student Zhengbo Zhou received the Magna Cum Laude Science Poster Award for his paper “Long Range History of Prior Mammograms for Breast Cancer Risk Prediction” at the 111th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Photo of Behnam Rahdari

Making Personalized Medicine a Reality Isn’t Far Off with SCI Alum’s Research at Stanford

Behnam Rahdari (IS ’25) studies how AI tools and human interaction connect in the healthcare world, exploring how tech and people can collaborate for a better clinical future.
man wearing white button down shirt and black blazer

SCI Faculty Member Participating in $5 million NSF Grant to Improve Qubits and Address Quantum Workforce Development

Dr. Xulong Tang, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, is participating in a five-year $5 million NSF ExpandQISE Track 2 Grant. The project, titled “ExpandQISE: URI-PQI Collaboration - Application of Quantum Fundamentals to Advance Research and Workforce Development,” is led by the University of Rhode Island in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Quantum Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh.
man sitting behind open laptop

SCI Professor Morgan Frank Discusses AI and Unemployment Risks

Assistant Professor Morgan Frank was interviewed by Local News Live about AI and unemployment risks in light of Amazon's recent announcement of thousands of layoffs.
Photo of a smartphone screen showing various social media app icons

Social Media Algorithms and Toxic Discourse: SCI Researchers Draw Connections in New Study

How do social media algorithms shape discourse, for better or worse? SCI PhD students Ahana Biswas and Alireza Javadian Sabet explore “Toxic Politics and TikTok Engagement in the 2024 U.S. Election” in a recent publication in "Misinformation Review”.
Group of adults in caps and gowns.

SCI Researcher Helps Reintegrate Previously Incarcerated Individuals with Digital Literacy Tools

The Colorful Backgrounds EXPO, a 12-week reentry program led by Pittsburgh nonprofit West End P.O.W.E.R. and the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN), recently partnered with School of Computing and Information (SCI) assistant professor Aakash Gautam to provide digital literacy training and future envisioning tools that support returning citizens as they reenter their communities. 

SCI Researchers Forge Teamwork Connections Between Artificial Agents and Humans

SCI researchers including Dr. Michael Lewis (DINS), Lucia Romero, a master’s student studying information science, and SCI alum Huao Li (MSIS ’19, PhD ’25) received a Best Paper Award at a Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS) Workshop. This study introduces TALENTS, a novel framework that enables artificial agents to adapt to human partners in real-time.

How does machine learning advance climate science? A SCI researcher is making those connections with a prestigious NSF grant.

Xiaowei Jia, an associate professor with the Department of Computer Science, has received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) award of $384,203 to focus on the hidden signatures in water isotopes, specifically rare forms of hydrogen and oxygen that act as natural recorders of Earth’s climate history.
Photo of Rebecca Morris

Connecting Generative AI and the Library Sciences: SCI Faculty, Alumna Share Perspectives

Rebecca Morris, a Teaching Associate Professor with SCI’ s Department of Information Culture and Data Stewardship, and MLIS alumna Annie Malady were published in the May 2025 issue of Library Trends. Their article, titled “Facing the Questions Together: Faculty and Student Perspectives on Integrating Generative AI in LIS Education,” explores collaborative viewpoints facing educators and students at Pitt and beyond.