SCS Faculty Named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows
Mallory LindahlTuesday, February 17, 2026Print this page.
Three faculty members in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science are among five CMU researchers selected to receive Sloan Research Fellowships in 2026. The two-year, $75,000 fellowships recognize early career researchers who have emerged as creative leaders in their fields.
Aayush Jain, Aditi Raghunathan and Jun-Yan Zhu join 123 other researchers announced as fellows this year, chosen from more than a thousand nominations. The fellowship will support each of their unique research goals.
Additional CMU fellows include Christopher Eur, an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences; and Arun Kumar Kuchibhotla, an associate professor in the Department of Statistics and Data Science.
Aayush Jain, an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department (CSD), studies theoretical and applied cryptography and its connections with related areas of theoretical computer science. His research investigates the mathematical foundations that make modern cryptography secure, with a focus on identifying new and underexplored sources of computational hardness. Jain aims to strengthen the long-term security of encrypted computation and address critical gaps in post-quantum cryptography. He also trains graduate students in foundational cryptographic theory.
Aditi Raghunathan is an assistant professor in CSD and with affiliations in the Machine Learning Department (MLD) and Language Technologies Institute. Her research focuses on identifying where and understanding why AI systems fail, and building models that remain safe, accurate and dependable in real-world settings. Raghunathan's work helps ensure that advanced AI can be trusted by identifying hidden weaknesses in how systems are trained and tested. She leads the AI Reliability Lab, which builds reliable, aligned and trustworthy AI through rigorous analysis and principled methods. Raghunathan's work has earned awards at prestigious conferences and continues to help shed light on responsible AI system design and deployment.
Jun-Yan Zhu is the Michael B. Donohue Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Robotics in the Robotics Institute, with affiliations in CSD and MLD. His research develops human-centric generative AI frameworks that give creators greater control over model outputs, allow them to adapt models for new use cases, and support fair credit for creators whose work contributes to AI training. Zhu leads the Generative Intelligence Lab, where students and researchers use generative models to empower human creators, bringing them from the digital world into the physical world and making them more accessible to everyone.
Learn more about the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and its fellows on the association's website.
Aaron Aupperlee | 412-268-9068 | aaupperlee@cmu.edu