University of Chicago PhD Graduates Secure Tenure-Track Faculty Positions Amid a Competitive Job Market

Despite a particularly challenging academic job market this year, several PhD graduates from the University of Chicago’s Department of Computer Science have secured coveted tenure-track faculty positions at leading institutions around the world. Their placements reflect the department’s continued success in fostering innovative research and preparing scholars to become leaders in their fields.

Fan Yao, advised by Haifeng Xu, will join the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2025.

Jibang Wu, also advised by Haifeng Xu and a recipient of the prestigious Stigler Center Dissertation Award, will begin a faculty position at the NYU Business School in 2025.

Shan-Yuan Tang, advised by Pedro Lopes and recognized for receiving two Best Paper Awards and five Honorable Mentions during his time at UChicago, will start at National Taiwan University in 2025.

Jas Brooks, also advised by Lopes, will join the MIT EECS Department in 2026. Brooks is a Rising Star in EECS, a Siebel Scholar, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, with Best Paper Awards at CHI in 2020 and 2021.

Alex Hoover, whose doctoral research was advised by David Cash, will begin a tenure-track role at Stevens Institute of Technology in 2025.

Shawn Shan, advised by Ben Zhao and Heather Zheng, will start at Dartmouth College in 2026. Shawn has already garnered significant recognition for his work, including the MIT Technology Review Innovator of the Year award, a Forbes 30 Under 30 listing, the Internet Defense Prize, and the Concept Art Association Community Impact Award.

Zhuolin Yang, also advised by Zhao and Zheng and named a Rising Star in EECS in 2024, will join the University of Arizona as a faculty member in 2025.

Yunong Shi, whose research in quantum computing was advised by Fred Chong, will begin a tenure-track role at the University of Michigan.

Finally, Shinan Liu, whose doctoral work was supervised by Nick Feamster, will begin a faculty position at the University of Hong Kong in 2025.

While several graduates are heading into academic careers, others from this year’s cohort have accepted prestigious postdoctoral fellowships and research-driven positions in industry. These placements speak not only to the caliber of these students’ research but also to the strength of the training and mentorship they received at the University of Chicago. The department’s emphasis on rigorous inquiry, interdisciplinary exploration, and real-world impact has provided these graduates with a solid foundation for their academic careers.

“Amidst rising uncertainty in research funding and external challenges for institutes of higher learning, the 2024-2025 academic year has been one of the most challenging in recent history,” said Zhao. “Numerous top CS departments instituted hiring freezes or dramatically changed their hiring priorities mid-cycle. The tremendous success by our graduates this year speaks to the exceptional quality and depth of research in our department.“

As they begin their independent research careers, these new faculty members will continue to advance the field of computer science—pushing boundaries and inspiring the next generation of scholars.