Welcome to CISDA!

The Computer and Information Science Doctoral Association (CISDA) is a student-run organization that advocates for PhD students in the Department of Computer and Information Science (CIS) within the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania.

We used to be called CISGA, short for CIS Graduate Association. Because of the size of our department—we have over 150 PhD students alone, while some departments have 150 graduate students total!—we have historically focused on issues related to PhD students, so we changed our name to match. Masters students in the CIS department are now represented by associations for their individual programs. If you’re a CIS masters student and need help finding your student leadership, feel free to send us an email.

We communicate frequently with the Department Chair and Graduate Group Chair, send a representative to the Graduate Student Engineering Group (GSEG), attend faculty meetings, and host social events and town halls. We are always happy to chat, whether it’s just to say hi, give pointers to resources, or discuss more serious issues. Send us an email at cisda-chairs@seas.upenn.edu (small group of CISDA student leaders) or cisda-board@seas.upenn.edu (broader group of all CISDA members). You can also reach out to one of us directly or fill out our feedback form (with the option to be anonymous).