2025 CS&E Graduate Student Graduation Event

RSVP Link
Thursday, May 8, 9 - 11 a.m.
University Recreation and Wellness Center - Beacon Room

All graduating students from the Computer Science, Data Science, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and Software Engineering graduate programs, as well as their families and friends are invited to join the Department of Computer Science & Engineering in celebrating their accomplishments. This is a casual event to mingle with other graduates, take photos, and listen to speakers.  There will be light snacks and beverages at the event. This does not include a ceremony where names will be read and a stage crossing takes place.

College/University Commencement

Master's and Doctoral Degree Student Commencement 
Thursday, May 8 starting at 1 p.m.
3M Arena at Mariucci

Questions: [email protected]
Event website

Student Speakers

Rimika Dhara

Rimika Dhara grew up in Mumbai, India and moved to Rosemount, Minnesota when she was 14. She completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees here at the University of Minnesota. Throughout her academic career, Dhara's focus has been computer science with a specialization in machine learning during her master's program. During her time at UMN, she was actively involved in several organizations. She worked as a researcher with the MinnesotaNLP research group and served in multiple leadership roles with the Science and Engineering Student Board, including Mental Health Director, Academic Affairs Director, and Student Outreach Director. She was also a member of MN Junoon, a Bollywood Fusion dance team, and participated in the Indian Student Association on campus. Outside of academics, Dhara enjoys dancing, painting, reading, and creative writing. Following graduation, she will be joining Oracle as a Software Engineering in January and continue to complete her thesis with the Minnesota NLP research group in the Fall.

Xiang Zhang

Xiang Zhang is a PhD graduate from Shenzhen in the Guangdong Province of China. They have a BS in computer science and engineering from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and an MS in electrical and computer engineering at UMN. Zhang's research focuses on computational biology and they hope to explore opportunities in the biotech/pharmaceutical industry to advance biomedical AI research. During their time at the University of Minnesota, Zhang was a computer science student ambassador of the Data Science Initiative with the College of Science and Engineering, as well as a member of the UMN Campus Orchestra and the UMN Traditional Karate-do Academy. They also volunteered for a number of department initiatives, including CS&E faculty interviews. Outside of the world of academia, Zhang enjoys skiing and going to Minnesota Orchestra concerts.