UIC’s new computer science building signifies enrollment, program growth
The University of Illinois Chicago’s new state-of-the-art computer science facility will expand collaborative research and teaching capacity and unite a growing group of researchers and students in computer science, data science and engineering under one roof.
The Computer Design Research and Learning Center, which opened July 16 at 850 W. Taylor St., is a 135,000-square-foot building, organized around a five-story, light-filled atrium, that will provide much-needed research and learning spaces for the College of Engineering’s growing UIC Department of Computer Science, the academic home of approximately 2,100 undergraduate students.
UIC’s cutting-edge research and innovation are showcased at the center, which features 16,000 square feet of classroom space, 21 faculty research labs and a 1,200-square-foot robotics lab. The new building is part of the UIC campus master plan and supported by the Rebuild Illinois capital plan through a $129.8 million allocation from the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and contributions from several donors.
“Illinois is building an unparalleled research and innovation infrastructure in conjunction with our world-class higher education institutions,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “With support from our Rebuild Illinois plan, UIC’s new Computer Design Research and Learning Center will make our state an undisputed leader in the field and help prepare our students for the high-tech jobs of tomorrow.”
The facility, adjacent to UIC’s Memorial Grove and integrated with the existing Science and Engineering Labs East building, doubles the previous capacity of the department, which had faculty, staff and classes spread across four campus buildings.
“The new Computer Design Research and Learning Center is a powerful example of how thoughtful design and construction can advance education, research and innovation,” said TJ Edwards, executive director of the Illinois Capital Development Board. ”We are proud to deliver a collaborative space that unites UIC students and faculty in one dynamic facility.”
“The future of our state’s growing knowledge economy requires appropriately aligned and world-class educational and research programs. UIC’s computer science graduates are well prepared to contribute to emerging fields such as AI, quantum computing, robotics and cybersecurity,” said UIC Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda. “UIC is meeting critical workforce needs by building talent pipelines at scale and expanding our state’s innovation ecosystem through pathbreaking faculty research programs.”
The first two floors of the building include classrooms, dedicated spaces for computer science students, rooms for tutoring and teaching assistant sessions and an undergraduate learning and community center for meeting, studying and socializing. The upper three levels support UIC’s research mission, housing faculty offices, graduate student workspaces and specialized labs arranged to foster collaboration and discovery.
Other notable building amenities include a dry lab, open study spaces and a multipurpose event space.
UIC is seeking LEED Gold certification for the center, which incorporates a major new geothermal system beneath Memorial Grove to assist sustainable heating and cooling.
Stretching nearly 40 feet by 40 feet and featuring over 17,000 pounds of undulating octagonal forms custom-crafted from solid poplar hardwood, an art installation titled “Scala” occupies a significant portion of the building’s atrium. The artwork, designed and fabricated by artists Edra Soto and Dan Sullivan, was made possible through the state’s Capital Development Board’s Art-in-Architecture program, which ensures publicly commissioned art by Illinois artists is integrated in state-funded construction projects like the Computer Design Research and Learning Center.
The College of Engineering’s Department of Computer Science prepares students for careers in diverse fields. They learn how to write programs to keep information safe, spot security flaws in apps, design robots to interact with humans and organize massive data sets to derive insights that can be helpful in areas such as drug discovery. UIC ranks highly in artificial Intelligence and machine learning, security, data visualization and theory.
Over the past decade, the computer science program has experienced significant growth across faculty, student enrollment and research activities. Full-time faculty have nearly doubled, increasing from less than 40 in 2015 to 75 in 2024. Student enrollment has also grown substantially, rising from 1,046 students in 2015 (701 undergraduate and 345 graduate) to 2,686 in 2024 (2,140 undergraduate and 546 graduate). Research expenditures have followed a similar upward trend, growing from approximately $6.3 million in 2009 to over $10.5 million in 2024, reflecting the program’s expanding research enterprise and impact.
“This project is a beautiful showcase for how our college is on the rise,” said UIC College of Engineering Dean Lola Eniola-Adefeso. “This building will allow our faculty, staff and students to work collaboratively in state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms, specifically designed to be student-focused and forward-thinking. The center will let our faculty and students dream big in an era when we need those big ideas to solve complex problems here in Chicagoland and beyond.”
The Computer Design Research and Learning Center marks the latest expansion of UIC’s engineering facilities on the east side of campus. In 2019, the university opened the Engineering Innovation Building, featuring what was at the time the Chicago area’s only high-bay structural research laboratory, which enables engineers and industry professionals to develop and test large and heavy infrastructural components.
Read more about how the new building will boost robotics research at UIC and a ribbon-cutting ceremony featured speaker, Coda Richmond, a fourth-year UIC student who co-founded a campus chapter of the organization Women in Cybersecurity to bring more women into the field.
