James P. Cohoon

James P. Cohoon is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia, where he has been since 1983. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota in 1982 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997. A Fulbright Scholar in 1993, Cohoon has directed four Ph.D. theses and 20 MS students, authored/co-authored five books, and published over sixty papers.

• Ph.D., Computer Science, University of Minnesota (1982)

His research spans Design Automation, Programming Languages, and Education Technology, with a focus on innovative teaching methods. Cohoon pioneered lab-based multimedia pedagogy in introductory computer science education, earning recognition for attracting diverse student populations.

Career highlights include leadership roles in ACM SIG Governing Board’s Executive Committee and Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Design Automation (SIGDA) from 1993-1997. He received numerous accolades, including the 2008 Taylor L. Booth Award for pedagogical innovation.

• SIGDA Design Automation Fellowship (1990)
• SIGDA Outstanding Member Award (1991, 2004)
• SIGDA Leadership Award (1997)
• McGraw-Hill 'Most Successful New Title' Award (1997)
• Taylor L. Booth Award (2008)

Cohoon’s contributions to academia include co-founding influential textbooks with Jack Davidson and mentoring a generation of computer science graduates, leaving a lasting impact on software engineering education and design automation research.