Send me email at asampson@cs.cornell.edu. My office in Gates Hall is 411A. I share lots of code on GitHub.
You can find me in the Fediverse at @adrian@discuss.systems. Also consider following @sigplan@discuss.systems and @sigarch@discuss.systems.
Here’s my mailing address:
Adrian Sampson
Cornell University
411A Gates Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853-7501
Here are some answers to common questions.
There are links to my talks in my conference paper list. There are PDF versions there, and I can also send you Keynote files if you email me. I don’t have PowerPoint files.
If you’re presenting a paper in a reading group, I’d love to hear a summary of the discussion!
Yay! Please check out my research group’s instructions for prospective undergraduate researchers. We really enjoy collaborating with talented Cornell undergrads.
I’d be happy to! Please pick a time. Please send any forms along before you schedule the meeting.
Before you do, though, I should warn you that if your question is about course requirements, graduation logistics, and the like, I’m not the best person to ask—our undergraduate advisors are the true experts. For example, that office signs part 2 of the A&S application to graduate (this policy supersedes the college’s advice that your faculty advisor should sign it). You can reach them in Rhodes 516/518 or at ugrad@cs.cornell.edu.
Please see the CS department’s guidance and FAQs about course enrollment. I do not control waitlists, nor do I have the ability to distribute PINs—for that, please contact the email alias on that page.
This year (the 2025 application cycle), I am not looking for new PhD students. However, we have extremely strong PL and architecture groups at Cornell; I strongly encourage you to apply to work with other advisors we have here. Please apply to the Ph.D. program at Cornell CS or in ECE.
I can’t consider internship applications from non-Cornell students right now. (That includes “self-funded” applicants.) I hope you find a great internship with another group!
However, I am interested in working undergraduates from underrepresented groups via the DREU and LSAMP programs. Please consider applying to one of those if you are eligible.
I’m glad you’re interested in the article! But copies of blog posts on sites I don’t control make it impossible for me to correct mistakes or add updates in the future. Please don’t “repost” anything.
CS 6120 is a PhD-level course, but it is common for undergrads to take it. Please only do so if you are really excited about compilers. In my experience, students who are specifically interested in compilers in particular have a great time; for students who are just looking for some elective to take, it is a waste of time. If you are more interested in getting lots of programming experience, there are 4xxx courses that would be a better fit.
You should also be aware that, like most PhD-level courses, CS 6120 is less structured than your typical undergrad course. There are fewer deadlines and more flexibility on all the coursework. That’s part of the reason I think it’s only worth your time if you’re actually motivated.
It is not required to take our undergrad compilers course, CS 4120, as a prerequisite. I recommend taking it first because it can help you decide whether you like compilers. But the course is designed for PhD students who come to Cornell without having taken a compilers course in undergrad, so it does not directly depend on the 4120 content. (In fact, prior students have reported that the first part of 6120 can feel like a review of 4120 material.)
Here’s a short bio and photo, and here’s my CV.