Gilbert Bernstein

Gilbert Bernstein is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science & Engineering department within the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. His research bridges computer graphics and programming languages, with a focus on high-performance domain-specific languages. Previously, he was a post-doctoral scholar at UC Berkeley and MIT working with Jonathan Ragan-Kelley, and received his PhD from Stanford University under Pat Hanrahan.

His research interests span Computer Graphics, Programming Languages, High-Performance DSLs, Physical Simulation, Geometry & Topology, Differentiable Programming, Hardware DSLs, Tools for Artists, Fabrication, and Human-Computer Interaction. Bernstein develops languages and compilers that enable efficient computation for creative applications, physical simulations, and graphics rendering systems.

His recent publications reveal strong trends in differentiable programming for graphics applications, domain-specific languages for hardware acceleration, and computational approaches to traditional crafts like quilting and knitting. His work consistently combines formal language theory with practical applications in graphics and fabrication.

Bernstein actively mentors students across multiple institutions including current advisees Felix Hahnlein (UW Postdoc), Ryan Zambrotta (UW PhD), Haoran Peng (UW PhD), and previous students including Alex Reinking (UC Berkeley PhD 2022, now at Qualcomm) and MacKenzie Leake (Stanford PhD 2021, now at Adobe Research).

His lab works on diverse projects including debugging CAD programs, compilers for finite element methods, semantics for knitting machines, algebraic scheduling of tensor programs, and exocompilers for hardware accelerators. Bernstein also collaborates on DSLs for networking, Counterstrike bots, gradient-based optimization, memory management, hardware design, and garment design tools.