How to Apply to the SAND Lab as a Prospective PhD Student

Updated

The SAND Lab (Security, Algorithms, Networking and Data) at the University of Chicago is recruiting 1–2 PhD students in the 2025–2026 admission cycle, according to its site. To be considered, you apply through the UChicago PhD program, not directly to the lab, and the lab asks interested candidates to do two specific things: fill out a short Google form to stay on its short list, and mention Heather (Zheng) and Ben (Zhao) when selecting faculty in the UChicago PhD application.

What the lab says about recruitment

The site's "PhD Positions" section states the lab is looking to recruit 1–2 students in the 2025–2026 admission cycle. It gives two concrete instructions for interested applicants:

  • Fill out the Google form linked from the site so the lab can keep you on a short list of candidates.
  • Mention Heather and Ben when checking boxes for faculty in your UChicago PhD application.

That's the entire published process. There is no separate lab application, no stated deadline on the page, and no indication that contacting the lab replaces the formal university application.

Why the two steps matter

The SAND Lab is co-directed by Professor Ben Y. Zhao and Professor Heather Zheng. Because admission runs through the university, the faculty checkboxes in your application are how your file gets routed to them. The Google form is a separate signal of interest that the lab uses to track candidates before or alongside the formal review.

So the two steps serve different purposes:

Step Where it happens What it does
Google form Linked from the lab site Puts you on the lab's short list of interested candidates
Faculty checkboxes UChicago PhD application Routes your application to Heather and Ben
Full application UChicago PhD program The actual basis for admission

What the lab works on

Knowing the research areas helps you decide whether to apply and how to frame your interest. The site lists current research areas including Adversarial Machine Learning and Wireless and Mobile Systems, and describes the lab's work as spanning security and machine learning, with occasional ventures into HCI and data mining.

Recent published work mentioned on the site gives a sense of the lab's direction:

  • Hemlock — adversarial mislabeling poison attacks (CCS)
  • Nightshade — (IEEE S&P 2024)
  • Glaze — recognized in TIME's Best Inventions of 2023 and a Chicago Innovation Award winner
  • Generative AI image detection (CCS Distinguished Paper Award)
  • Measuring genAI crawlers and defenses (IMC)
  • Diffusion model implosion (ACM CCS 2024)

If your interests sit in security, adversarial ML, or privacy-related ML, the lab's output is a reasonable proxy for fit.

Practical steps

  1. Read the lab's publications and people pages to confirm your interests overlap with current work.
  2. Fill out the Google form linked from the "PhD Positions" section so the lab can shortlist you.
  3. Apply to the UChicago PhD program through the university's normal process.
  4. When the application asks you to select faculty, check Heather Zheng and Ben Zhao.
  5. Reference specific lab work in your statement so your interest reads as informed rather than generic.

Common sticking points

  • Applying only through the form. The form is a short-list signal, not an application. Admission still runs through UChicago.
  • Forgetting the faculty checkboxes. If you don't select Heather and Ben, your file may not reach them even if you filled out the form.
  • Treating the cycle as open-ended. The site names the 2025–2026 cycle specifically; don't assume the same recruitment applies in later years without checking the page again.
  • Assuming a deadline from the page. The site states the number of positions and the cycle but does not publish a deadline, so confirm dates through the UChicago PhD program.

The lab also notes it includes roughly 6–10 PhD, MS, and undergraduate researchers plus visiting scholars, which gives a sense of the group's size relative to the 1–2 openings.