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Grad Visit Days 2026 — Schedule & Logistics

Grad Visit Days 2026 is a three-day event for newly admitted Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students to learn about our research programs at the Department of Computer Science and see first-hand what graduate life is like at University of Toronto. It is an opportunity for students to meet our faculty and graduate students, and to learn more about the University and the resources available. 

Depending on the travel origin, hotel accommodation will be provided (Single room; maximum room occupancy of two guests per room) and as well as reimbursements for reasonable travel expenses; more details can be found below. 

Schedule

Monday, March 23 

3 – 5:30 p.m. Check-in at Chelsea Hotel 

33 Gerrard Street West, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z4 

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Welcome Reception at Chelsea Hotel 
Scott Room, located on 3rd Floor 

6:30 – 9:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner at Chelsea Hotel 
The Rossetti Ballroom, 3rd Floor  

Tuesday, March 24 

8 a.m. Escorted walk from Chelsea Hotel to Bahen Centre for Information Technology 

8:15 – 9 a.m. Breakfast and Registration 
BA 3200, Bahen Centre for Information Technology, 40 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4 

9 – 10:15 a.m. Welcome from the Chair; Associate Chair, Graduate Studies; Representative of the CSGS and the GVD Planning Committee 

Administrative Presentation: So, you have received your offer, now what? 
Presenter: Alison Grossman, Associate Director, Graduate Academic Services
Keynote Presentation: AI in Healthcare
Presenter: Professor Anna Goldenberg

10:15 – 11:00 a.m. U of T Entrepreneurship
Find out more about the University of Toronto Entrepreneurship supports and provides mentorship, expertise, resources, and strategic connections to give entrepreneurs at all stages of their journey the tools they need to effectively start, build and scale their businesses.

Presenters: Jennifer Fraser, Director of Innovation and Jon French, Director of UofT Entrepreneurship.

11 – 11:15 a.m. Morning Break 

11:15 a.m. – 12 p.m. Graduate Student Panel Session 
Get the perspectives that matter on your specific questions. Join us for discussions moderated by current students about the student experience at U of T. 

Panel Speakers:

  • Patrick Lee (PhD-T in HCI, Domestic)

  • Sajad Maghrebi (PhD-Direct Entry in Data Mgt, International)

  • Kimia Shaban (PhD in ML, Domestic)

  • Rajan Maghera (MSc in Software Engineering, Domestic)


Moderator: Assistant Professor Ningning Xie  

12:00 – 12:15 p.m. Travel to the Hart House from Bahen Centre for Information Technology 

12:15 – 2:00 p.m. GVD Luncheon at the Hart House Music Room 
7 Hart House Circle, Toronto, ON M5S 3G3 

2:00 – 2:15 p.m. Travel from the Hart House to Bahen Centre for Information Technology 

2:15 – 2:45 p.m. 
Option 1: U of T Housing Session 
U of T’s Housing Services will be there to provide information on on-campus residence options and advice for your housing search off-campus. 

Presenter: Deepam Patel, Housing Communications Officer, U of T Housing 

Option 2: Faculty-Student One-on-Ones  (pre-scheduled meeting to connect with faculty supervisors)


2:45 – 3:45 p.m. 
Option 1: Faculty Research Presentations:

  • Talk title: What should we do with superintelligence?

    Bio: Rahul G. Krishnan is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Medicine (Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology) where he holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Computational Medicine. He is a Canada CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute. He works on deep learning, causal inference and machine learning in healthcare. Previously, he was a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research New England. He received his MS from New York University and his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 2020.

  • Talk title: GPUHammer - Flipping Bits in GPUs for Fun and Profit

    Bio: Gururaj Saileshwar is an Assistant Professor in the Dept of Computer Science. He research focuses on building secure computer hardware and systems, and includes the discovery of new attacks on CPUs, GPUs, and machine learning systems, and developing principled countermeasures. His work has received multiple awards, including Best Paper Awards at HPCA 2023 and PETS 2025 (Runner-Up), a CSAW Best Paper Award, and the IEEE HOST Best PhD Award.

  • Talk title: Delegating Computation with Polynomials

    Bio: Swastik Kopparty is a Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Toronto. His research areas include error-correcting codes, computational complexity theory, finite fields, randomness and pseudorandomness. Swastik got his PhD in Computer Science from MIT in 2010, was a postdoc at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton during 2010-2011, and was a faculty member in Mathematics and Computer Science at Rutgers University from 2011 to 2021. He is a recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and the NSF CAREER Award.

Option 2: Faculty-Student One-on-Ones   (pre-scheduled meeting to connect with faculty supervisors)

 
3:45 – 5:00 p.m. 
Option 1:  Faculty-Student One-On-Ones  (pre-scheduled meeting to connect with faculty supervisors)

Option 2: Vector Tour (meet at BA 3200)  
Led by Johannah Thumb, Manager, Student Engagement, Daniel Oltianu, Research Engagement and Data Coordinator and student ambassadors.

Option 3:  DCS Women Welcome to DCS Tea (BA 7231)
DCS Women in Computer Science is hosting a Welcome Tea for female identifying admitted students to meet the community! DCS Women in Computer Science is an informal group of female graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members from the department (DCS) and provides a supportive environment for our female students to learn and thrive. 

Option 4: Group-Led afternoon Activities:
Around 4:00 p.m., there are some faculty-led group socials listed below.

  • Theory Group:  Afternoon snack and talk with Theory group Faculty in SF 3208 (Meet in front of BA 3200)

  • DGP/Robotics/Vision Group:  DGP Lab Tour in BA 5166 (Meet in front of BA 3200)

  • ML/AI Group: Afternoon Snack in Kibo, inside SRIC, 108 College Street (Meet at Kibo)

  • SysLab Group: Coffee & donuts + Research talks in BA 5256 (Meet in BA 5256)

5:30 p.m. onwards Evening Group-Led Activities:
Around 6:00 p.m., there are some faculty-led group socials listed below for you to participate in the evening.

  • Theory Group:  Host by Prof. Allan Borodin, Snakes & Lattes 489 College St.

  • DGP/Robotics/Vision Group: Host by Prof. David Lindell, 45 Carlton Street, RSVP Required. Check in at the concierge desk upon arrival, then take the elevator to the second floor. Turn left out of the elevator and follow the signs to the party room on your right. The evening will feature dinner and social activities.

  • SysLab Group: Host by Prof. Anwar Hithnawi, Mexhico, 26 Baldwin St

  • Systems (PLSE) Group: Host by Prof. Ningning Xie, Snakes & Lattes 489 College St. RSVP Required.

  • ML/AI Group: Hosted by Rohan Subramani, Snakes and Lattes 600 Bloor Street West

Wednesday, March 25 

9 –10:00 a.m. DCS Breakfast Bingo hosted by CSGS 
BA 3200, Bahen Centre for Information Technology, 40 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2E4 

Mingle with current graduate students at the University of Toronto during this student-hosted event. The Computer Science Graduate Society (CSGS) will lead a casual bingo to provide additional information about university-life, research expectations, and life in Toronto from a graduate student perspective.

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. 

Option 1: Vector Tour (meet at BA 3200) 
Tour led by Johannah Thumb, Manager, Student Engagement and student ambassadors.

Option 2: Student Guided Campus Tour (meet at BA 3200) 
Tour will last approximately 3-4 hours, please ensure that you have checked out of your hotel in advance of the tour.

11 a.m. Check-out from Chelsea Hotel