{"id":18196,"date":"2025-09-24T13:43:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T17:43:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/?page_id=18196"},"modified":"2026-06-10T19:47:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T23:47:54","slug":"convocation-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cds-faculty\/convocation-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"CDS Convocation Ceremony 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nMessage from Azer Bestavros<\/a>
\n Guest Speaker Ari Balogh<\/a>
\nSendoff Speech from Professor Wesley Wildman<\/a>
\nGraduate Student Speaker<\/a>
\nUndergraduate Student Speaker<\/a>
\nCelebrating Student Achievement 2026<\/a>
\nList of Graduates<\/a><\/h3>\n

Convocation Ceremony Details<\/h3>\n

The Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences 2026 Convocation Ceremony was held on Saturday, May 16, and was exclusive to CDS students (undergraduates, master\u2019s, and Ph.D. candidates). Convocation in May is the only event where student names are called by the Degree Programs.<\/p>\n

When<\/h3>\n

Saturday, May 16, 2026, 9:30 AM.\u00a0 Student Check-in is at 8:30AM.<\/p>\n

Where<\/h3>\n

Boston University Case Gym, 285 Babcock St., Boston, MA 02215<\/p>\n

Tickets for graduates and their guests are not required.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Parking & Transportation<\/h3>\n
\n

BU Shuttle provided free service throughout the weekend.\u00a0 More information on parking, public transportation, and rideshare opportunities will be available as we get closer to the event.<\/p>\n

Security & Prohibited Items<\/h3>\n

Please note that there will be security screenings when you and your guests enter; items not allowed include but are not limited to: balloons, banners and large signs, bags larger than 12 x 12 x 6″, alcoholic beverages, glass (including glass vases), pets, noisemakers, confetti, and beach balls or other inflatable items. No check-in services are available for prohibited items. Also please note that convocation facilities are smoke and vape free.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Commencement Speaker:<\/h3>\n

\"HeadshotAristotle Balogh<\/h3>\n

Airbnb, Google, Yahoo!, VeriSign, Inc.<\/h4>\n

The Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences is proud to welcome Aristotle Balogh<\/strong> as the 2026 Convocation Speaker. Aristotle was CTO at Airbnb from late 2018 to January 2026, overseeing all product development, data science, infrastructure, AI, security, and internal technology. He guided the platform\u2019s growth while transitioning from startup practices to support the demands of a scaled, maturing business that successfully went public. The transformation included wholesale changes to every element of technology, from the type of talent recruited, to development, planning and leadership practices, enabling a complete rebuild of the entire technology base, including the extensive application of machine learning \/ AI. This resulted in dramatic improvements in business results, agility, quality, application latency, and efficiency. Balogh also provided stability through the massive changes of the transformation, business growth, and IPO, including the turmoil of the pandemic that necessitated a substantial company reduction (where Airbnb experienced an 80% drop in business over two months).<\/p>\n

Prior to Airbnb, Balogh was VP of Engineering at Google. He was responsible for the entire lifecycle of search data infrastructure — including web, knowledge graph, media, map facts and personal data — from acquisition through deep understanding, experimentation, and low latency serving across the globe. He led the framework efforts that brought a component-based, microservices approach to building consumer and data services. Balogh\u2019s initial role at Google involved leading central storage and network infrastructure, and pulling together the various cloud-based efforts into a coherent offering for the initial launch of the external Google Cloud Platform.<\/p>\n

Prior to Google, Balogh was EVP of Products and CTO at Yahoo!. He led all product development, focusing on excellence of the product experience and tight iteration between consumer input, design, development, and experimentation. Balogh drove disciplined product portfolio assessment, common infrastructure, and sweeping consolidation of product implementations, to speed product velocity while reducing defects and cost. All of Yahoo!\u2019s engineering functions, including technical operations, infrastructure, and internal IT support groups, reported into Balogh.<\/p>\n

Prior to Yahoo!, Balogh was EVP, Global Product Development and CTO for VeriSign, Inc., where he led all internal and external technology functions. This included responsibility for critical root and top level domain DNS, which is the single point of failure of the Internet. During his nearly ten years at VeriSign, he held numerous technology leadership positions that focused on aligning technical execution with business priorities; driving product strategy; and improving the speed of innovation and quality across the entire lifecycle of service creation and delivery. In 2007, he was recognized by Infoworld Magazine as one of the top 25 CTOs in the industry. Prior to joining Verisign, Balogh held leadership positions at SRA Corporation and Roadnet Technologies.<\/p>\n

Balogh holds an M.S.E. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/h3>\n

Program<\/h3>\n