Nathan Backman

Nathan Backman is a Professor of Computer Science, actively contributing to research and education in parallel and distributed computing systems. His work centers on resource scheduling for heterogeneous and non-dedicated computing environments, particularly in the context of batch and stream processing.

His research led to the development of the Continuous-MapReduce (C-MR) framework, which enables continuous execution of complex MapReduce workflows for real-time stream processing applications. This innovation bridges gaps between traditional batch processing and low-latency stream processing models.

Dr. Backman is deeply engaged in computer science education, teaching a broad curriculum including Introduction to Computer Programming, Algorithms, Database Management Systems, Web & Network Programming, Computer Security, Operating Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Capstone projects. He also leads specialized courses in Competitive Programming and Networks & Distributed Systems.

He is a strong advocate for extracurricular learning and regularly organizes and hosts algorithmic programming contests and cybersecurity Capture-the-Flag (attack/defense) competitions. He has served as a judge for the North Central North American region of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) and as a problem writer for the ACM ICPC North American Qualifier, demonstrating his commitment to fostering student talent in competitive computing.

His areas of expertise span distributed computing, scheduling algorithms, educational outreach in computer science, and cybersecurity training through competition. While no formal awards or publications are listed in the provided text, his contributions to pedagogy and research infrastructure are significant.