iSchool at Illinois

We recognized student award recipients at the #iSchoolUI Convocation on May 17. Awards are based on academic achievements and attributes that contribute to professional success. Congratulations to this year's honorees! 🎉🧡 bit.ly/4dEsDOe

#iSchoolUI Assistant Professor Ismini Lourentzou has received a $600K @NSF CAREER award for her project, “Shaping Embodied Intelligence Through Language-Guided Introspection,” which aims to build safer and more reliable AI systems. 🤖 Congrats, Ismini! ▶️ bit.ly/42QoWjn

Recent #iSchoolUI graduate Mads Christiansen was inspired to pursue their MSLIS degree because libraries “always felt like a safe space." Learn more about the trans resources guide they helped create with campus partners 🌈▶️ bit.ly/3PEEweR

“Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!” ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

#iSchoolUI alumnus Daniel Kraus (MSLIS ’05) won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for "Angel Down." The @nytimes bestselling author spoke with the iSchool about the award, WWI inspiration behind the novel, and its ambitious single-sentence structure. 📚 bit.ly/4wo7Kze

#iSchoolUI PhD student Mubarak Raji has been invited to join the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies’ Working Expert Group on AI Governance Interoperability ahead of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance in Geneva this July. Congrats, Mubarak!▶️ bit.ly/4ty8z66

Michèle Cloonan (MS ’84, PhD ’88), dean and professor emerita at @SimmonsSLIS, will deliver the 🔸2026 #iSchoolUI Convocation🔹 address on May 17 at 1:30 p.m. at the ARC. Read more about Michèle here ▶️ bit.ly/4wsPXHm

Last week, Informatics students showcased their creativity at the Game Studies & Design Spring Student Showcase 🎮✨ We hope everyone had fun getting a firsthand look at the innovative projects our students built this semester.

For the Fall 2025 semester, a record number of instructors for #iSchoolUI and Informatics courses were named to the university’s Facilitating Learning Excellence Award. Congratulations, everyone! 👏 View the full list here ▶️ bit.ly/42UeI1l

Join the #iSchoolUI! We are hiring an assistant dean for community, culture, and engagement to lead the implementation of strategic priorities and initiatives that advance student learning, culture of belonging, and our public impact. Apply by May 22 ▶️ bit.ly/4wfRMqK

This week, we recognized faculty and staff for their contributions to teaching and outstanding service to the #iSchoolUI. Congrats to Asst. Prof. Madelyn Rose Sanfilippo, Adjunct Lecturer Anne Barnhart, and Assistant to the Dean Christine Hopper! 🎉 ▶️ bit.ly/3P0O3Nb

A paper by #iSchoolUI Professor Jingrui He's lab, the iDEA-iSAIL Joint Lab, won an Outstanding Paper Award at the #ICLR2026 LLM Reasoning Workshop. Congratulations to the team! ▶️ bit.ly/4d7eBnR

The #iSchoolUI has joined the special interest group (SIG) that leads the development of the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model, an ISO standard for the sharing of documentation about the past. Asst. Prof. Nicola Carboni will serve as our representative. ▶️ bit.ly/4tQUEsu

#iSchoolUI PhD student Gladys Kemboi has been named a recipient of the Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Library and Information Associations (SCECSAL) Excellence Awards 2026 (Young LIS Professional). Congratulations, Gladys! ▶️ bit.ly/4tVUYGA

This week, Professor & Executive Associate Dean @profdownie was a guest speaker at the Herder Institute in Marburg & the University of Göttingen. Downie, who serves as co-director of the @hathitrust Research Center, lectured on the TORCHLITE project. bit.ly/4eneRS4

Last fall, #iSchoolUI PhD student Adebola Obayemi interned with the San Francisco Public Library on a nationwide initiative expanding information access for incarcerated communities. Read about her experience in this internship spotlight ▶️ bit.ly/4uczfK5

In #iSchoolUI Professor Emeritus Chip Bruce’s new book, “Democratic Education: Finding Hope in Challenging Times,” he explores how democracy and education are deeply connected and the need for the two to work together to address society's challenges. ▶️ bit.ly/4dcQ1mE

The #iSchoolUI is well represented in the 19th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, which will be held on April 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Illini Union. View the full list of iSchool students and mentors who will be participating here ▶️ bit.ly/4sSTUln

Informatics PhD student Sepehr Vaez Afshar has been named a 2026 Student Scholar by the Association for Preservation Technology International 🎉 He’ll present his research on digital heritage at APT’s annual conference this October. Congrats, Sepehr! ▶️ bit.ly/4cKdjz4

#iSchoolUI Adjunct Lecturer Zach Stier has been selected for a 2026 I Love My Librarian Award! 🎉 For 15 years, “Mr. Z” has turned Ericson Public Library into a hub for discovery, connecting literacy, science, and community. Congratulations, Zach! ▶️ bit.ly/4ejE7sv