UNC School of Data and Information Sciences

09/01/2026

✨ The ALA Annual 2027 Call for Program & Poster Proposals is NOW OPEN! You are officially invited to share your ideas, research, and expertise with the goal of presenting to thousands of attendees at the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans, June 24–28, 2027.

Submit your program or poster proposal today! https://bit.ly/4qz7PgR

09/01/2026

A week into her fellowship at the Kathrine R. Everett Law Library, Emma Ray '22 is already tracking down every corner of the building, one curiosity at a time. 📚 As the library's first George A. Strait Fellow, a national program from the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), she's spending her time here building an experience shaped around her own questions, all while pursuing her graduate degree at UNC's School of Data and Information Sciences.

"I've really enjoyed learning about what I realize I don't know," Ray says. Welcome back to Chapel Hill, Emma. 🩵

Read more about her story here: https://law.unc.edu/news/2026/08/emma-ray-is-charting-her-own-path-as-carolina-laws-first-strait-fellow/

09/01/2026

The semester is underway, and our faculty and staff have a few words of advice for the year ahead. 📚🩵

From making connections to making the most of your time at Carolina, take a listen to what they have to say as you navigate the semester ahead.

And remember, we’re here to support you along the way. 🐏

08/31/2026

SDIS doctoral student Kelsey Campbell is asking: How can AI be manipulated to influence what people see, believe and understand online? 🔍

Campbell brings a decade of experience analyzing online manipulation to Carolina, where they will expand their research into the societal effects of generative AI, misinformation and disinformation, and the systems that shape what people find online.

As a Royster Fellow, Campbell joins the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School's prestigious program supporting promising doctoral scholars at Carolina. The fellowship gives them greater freedom to dig deeper into complex questions surrounding digital safety and the influence of emerging technologies.

We're excited to welcome Kelsey to SDIS and follow their research at Carolina! 🩵

🔗 Read the full story at go.unc.edu/RoysterFellow

A decade of analyzing foreign influence campaigns taught Kelsey Campbell that online manipulation is rarely accidental. At Carolina, she'll study how the same tactics are showing up in AI and what can be done about it.

08/28/2026

Student researchers, get your research in front of a larger audience!

You’re invited to submit a poster abstract for our annual Data Science Day on Sept. 24.

This year's event will showcase projects exploring “Emerging Directions in Data Science,” from methodological innovations to real-world applications across disciplines. It’s a great opportunity to present your work, connect with researchers from across North Carolina and gain valuable feedback.

📅 Poster abstract deadline: Sept. 7

Poster submissions are open to all students at NC higher education institutions.

Submit your abstract today: https://go.unc.edu/2026DSDPoster

08/27/2026

Meet the first faculty cohort of the UNC School of Data and Information Sciences.

As SDIS begins its first academic year, we’re excited to welcome 13 new faculty members whose expertise spans AI, health informatics, archives, youth and information, human-computer interaction and data science

Their research and teaching add new perspectives to the school and create opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.

Meet the faculty helping shape the future of SDIS → go.unc.edu/sdis-faculty



American Library Association iSchools Computing Research Association

08/26/2026

Meet today's SDIS Student Spotlight: JaeGoo Ha 🐏

JaeGoo is from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is pursuing an M.S. in Information Science at Carolina. One of his favorite parts of the program is learning from professors who are passionate about their fields.

This summer, JaeGoo interned at Google with the Cloud Applied AI team, where he focused on the user experience of AI agents on e-commerce sites.

While spending the summer in Seattle, JaeGoo has enjoyed hiking, trying new restaurants and walking around downtown. At Carolina, he's also loved being part of App Team Carolina. 🥾🍜

We're proud to spotlight JaeGoo and all he's accomplished this summer! 🩵

08/25/2026

Ever wonder what SDIS faculty get up to when classes aren't in session? 💻

SDIS faculty members Yifei Lou, Rei Sanchez-Arias and Alex McAvoy headed to Cleveland this summer to take part in the 2026 Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Meeting.

Lou participated in a two-part series discussing “Sparsity-Driven Methods for Scientific Computing and Inverse Problems,” exploring how sparsity-driven methods can help researchers tackle complex, large-scale problems involving incomplete or noisy data while improving the stability and efficiency of computing.

Sanchez-Arias presented ”Towards Augmenting Mathematical Intuition in Data Science Methods with AI-assisted Techniques,” and McAvoy discussed ”When Cooperation Induces Inequality.”

Where did you travel this summer? Let us know in the comments!

UNCCH Mathematics Department

08/24/2026

There’s nothing quite like having our students back on campus! 🩵🐏
 
As a new academic year begins, Dean Ahalt and members of our SDIS faculty and staff are excited to welcome our students back to Carolina!
 
We’re looking forward to another year of learning, connecting, discovering and growing together. 📚

08/21/2026

Our students have been busy this summer! ☀️

As we kick off a new semester, we're highlighting some of the internships and experiences that kept SDIS students learning, exploring and building their skills beyond the classroom.

Meet our first SDIS Student Spotlight: Zaki Vincent Pagdatoon 🐏

Originally from Burlington, North Carolina, Zaki is pursuing a B.S. in Information Science at Carolina, where he enjoys combining technology, data and problem-solving to tackle real-world challenges. He likes that the program gives him hands-on experience with tools and skills that can be applied across many industries.

This summer, Zaki worked as a data science intern with First Bank, collaborating with the data science team. Throughout his internship, he gained experience using SQL and Python to analyze customer data and improve data quality.

Outside of the classroom and his internship, you’ll most likely find Zaki at the gym, watching basketball, trying a new place to eat, traveling or spending time with his family, friends and dogs. 🏀🐶

We're excited to see where Zaki takes his experience next!