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Kenneth P. BirmanView profile

Professor

• Distributed Systems
• Cloud Computing
• Machine Learning Systems
• +5 more

Kenneth P. Birman is the N. Rama Rao Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University, where he has had a long and impactful career in distributed systems, cloud computing, and AI/ML infrastructure. He is known for foundational contributions to reliable and scalable distributed systems, and for leading high-impact projects such as Cascade, Vortex, and Derecho. He is also the author of a widely used textbook on reliable distributed systems and has founded multiple companies based on his research. Education: Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley M.S. in Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley B.A. in Computer Science, Columbia University Research Interests: Professor Birman's research focuses on building reliable, secure, and scalable distributed systems . His current emphasis is on AI and ML infrastructure , particularly in reducing latency and improving performance through hardware acceleration, RDMA-based communication, and edge computing. He explores how to eliminate data movement bottlenecks in AI pipelines and how to support real-time, mission-critical applications in domains like healthcare, smart grids, and industrial IoT. His work spans systems programming, cloud computing, fault tolerance, and formal verification . He has designed systems that have been deployed in high-stakes environments such as the New York Stock Exchange, the Swiss Exchange, and the French Air Traffic Control system. Scientific Awards: ACM Fellow (1999) IEEE Fellow (2014) IEEE Tsutomu Kanai Award for innovations in distributed computing Teaching and Mentorship: Professor Birman teaches two courses in the fall semester: CS4414: Systems Programming and CS5416: Cloud and ML Systems Programming . He has advised numerous Ph.D. and M.S. students, including Alicia Yang, Tiancheng Yuan, Yifan Wang, Weijia Song, Edward Tremel, Sagar Jha, Jonathan Behrens, and Mae Milano. He has announced that Fall 2025 will be his last semester teaching, and he is no longer recruiting new students, though he will continue supervising current ones. Labs and Projects: He leads the Derecho Project and the Cascade/Vortex Project , both focused on high-performance distributed systems. These projects are collaborative efforts with students and industry partners, and the software is released under open-source licenses. He also maintains strong ties with Cornell's systems group and collaborates with faculty across CS, ECE, IS, and the Cornell Tech NYC campus.

Chen LiView profile

Professor

• Data Management
• Database Systems
• Machine Learning
• +8 more

Chen Li is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), affiliated with the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and bachelor's and master's degrees from Tsinghua University. His research focuses on data management, including databases, query optimization, machine learning systems, and open-source tools like AsterixDB and Texera. He has received prestigious awards such as the NSF CAREER Award and IEEE Fellow recognition. Li is also a board member of the VLDB Endowment and the former Faculty Director of UCI's ICS Master of Computer Science Program. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, Stanford University M.S. and B.S., Computer Science, Tsinghua University Research interests span next-generation databases, approximate query processing, and AI-driven data analytics. Notable contributions include the Texera system for collaborative data science workflows and the Apache AsterixDB project. He has led NIH-funded initiatives in diabetes research and pandemic prediction, emphasizing real-world applications of data science. Professional roles include PC co-chair of VLDB 2015, General Co-chair of SIGMOD 2027, and a visiting research scientist at Google. His awards highlight his impact in both academia and industry. Advising and mentoring are central to his career, with a focus on graduate education. He has pioneered outreach programs like DS4ALL to teach high-school students data science using Texera.

Steven H. H. DingView profile

Assistant Professor

• Cybersecurity
• Machine Learning
• Data Mining
• +7 more

Dr. Steven H. H. Ding is an Assistant Professor at McGill University's School of Information Studies, specializing in cybersecurity, machine learning, and data mining. His research focuses on AI-driven solutions for malware detection, software vulnerability analysis, and reverse engineering. He holds a PhD from McGill University and has been supported by BlackBerry Cylance and DRDC. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in military systems and avionics cybersecurity. Dr. Ding earned his PhD in 2019 with notable awards including the FRQNT Doctoral Research Scholarship and McGill's Dean’s Graduate Award. His educational background includes degrees from McGill, Concordia University, and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. His research interests span cybersecurity domains such as zero-day malware identification, code obfuscation countermeasures, authorship verification for digital forensics, and AI applications in avionics anomaly detection. He actively contributes to open-source tools like the Kam1n0 MapReduce-based assembly clone search system. Recent work emphasizes adversarial machine learning for evasive malware generation, transformer-based anomaly detection in avionics, and automated SBOM generation for firmware analysis. His publications reflect a focus on real-world cybersecurity challenges in both civilian and defense sectors. Dr. Ding leads the L1NNA Lab and collaborates with industry partners on cutting-edge projects. His contributions include novel techniques for phishing detection leveraging large language models and innovative approaches to reverse engineering software composition in JavaScript applications.

Abraham SilberschatzView profile

Professor

• Database Systems
• Operating Systems
• Storage Systems
• +3 more

Abraham Silberschatz is the Sidney J. Weinberg Professor of Computer Science at Yale University. He previously served as Vice President of the Information Sciences Research Center at Bell Laboratories and held a chaired professorship at the University of Texas at Austin. His research focuses on database systems, operating systems, and network management. Silberschatz has advised over a dozen PhD students, many now in academia and industry. Education: Ph.D., Computer Science, Stony Brook University (SUNY) Research Interests: His work spans database systems, operating systems, storage systems, and network management. Notable contributions include foundational textbooks like Operating System Concepts and Database System Concepts , which have become industry standards. He has also developed innovative systems like DataPlay and contributed to projects such as NetInventory. Publications: His 15+ years of research include influential papers on database architecture, network routing, and distributed systems. Recent work explores leveraging non-volatile memory technologies in systems design. Awards: ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award (1998) IEEE Taylor L. Booth Education Award (2002) VLDB Test of Time Award (2019) Multiple Bell Laboratories President's Awards for innovation Grants & Patents: Recipient of over two dozen grants and over four dozen patents, including foundational IP in multimedia storage and distributed systems. His team's HadoopDB project merged MapReduce and DBMS technologies. Labs/Teams: Collaborates with Prof. Robert Soulé on projects in database systems and networking, focusing on next-gen memory technologies. Active in mentoring graduate students and postdocs in their research group.

Walid G. ArefView profile

Professor

• Databases
• Data Mining
• Spatial Databases
• +6 more

Walid G. Aref is a Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University since Fall 1999. His research focuses on database systems, spatial and spatio-temporal data management, query processing, and indexing. He has led projects funded by NSF, NIH, and industry partners. Aref is a Fellow of the IEEE and has received awards including the NSF CAREER Award (2001) and VLDB’s Ten-Year Best Paper Award (2016). He serves as Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Spatial Algorithms and Systems and has authored numerous influential papers. Education: BSc/MSc from Alexandria University (Egypt), PhD from University of Maryland (1993). Research Interests: Extending database functionality for emerging applications like spatial, graph, and sensor databases. Notable contributions include the Chameleon project, AQWA system for big spatial data, and privacy-preserving Casper framework. Selected Projects: NSF-funded work on multi-predicate spatial queries, in-memory graph relational systems, and adaptive spatio-textual processing. Systems like Tornado (spatio-textual streams) and LocationSpark (distributed spatial data) exemplify his contributions. Awards: Multiple best paper awards, IEEE Fellow, and leadership roles in ACM SIGSPATIAL.

Feng YanView profile

Associate Professor

• Big Data
• Machine Learning
• Systems
• +6 more

Dr. Feng Yan is an Associate Professor at the University of Houston's Computer Science Department, leading the Intelligent Data and Systems Lab (IDS Lab). He previously held an Associate Professor position at the University of Nevada, Reno. His research focuses on bridging Big Data, Machine Learning, and Systems, with interdisciplinary applications in wildfire science, materials engineering, and civil infrastructure. He has received prestigious awards such as the NSF CAREER Award and the Regents' Rising Researcher Award. Education: Ph.D. (2016) and M.S. (2011) in Computer Science from College of William and Mary; B.S. (2008) in Computer Science from Northeastern University. Research experience includes roles at Microsoft Research and HP Labs. Research Interests: Large Language Models (LLM), Distributed Deep Learning, AutoML, Serverless Computing, Federated Learning, and AI-driven domain sciences. His work emphasizes real-world impact through collaborations with industry and national labs. Publications: Over 60+ papers in top-tier venues like NeurIPS, ICLR, KDD, AAAI, SOSP, SC, and VLDB. Key contributions include ZeRO++ (collective communication optimization), Gradient Compression techniques, and Federated Learning frameworks like TiFL and HDFL. Awards: NSF EPSCoR Award ($20M), NSF CAREER Award, FAA BAKFAA Grant, and multiple best paper awards (IEEE CLOUD 2018, CLOUD 2019). Active in program committees for HPDC, ICAC, ICPE, and AAAI. Advising: Supervised over 30+ graduate/undergraduate students, with placements at Microsoft Research, IBM, Oak Ridge National Lab, Facebook, and MathWorks. Runs a vibrant lab with a focus on interdisciplinary AI/Systems research.

Emanuel SallingerView profile

Professor

• Information Systems Engineering
• Computational Logic
• Scalable Artificial Intelligence
• +8 more

Emanuel Sallinger is a Full Professor at TU Wien's Databases and Artificial Intelligence Group and Vice Dean of Academic Affairs for Business Informatics and Data Science. He leads the Knowledge Graph Lab, focusing on scalable knowledge-based systems, reasoning in knowledge graphs, and AI integration. His research spans computational logic, database theory, and blockchain applications. Education: PhD in Computer Science (awarded 'sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae'), Master's degrees in Computational Intelligence and Informatics Management, and a Bachelor's in Software and Information Engineering. Research Interests: Knowledge graphs (construction, reasoning, scalability), logic-based systems, AI/ML integration with databases, enterprise architecture modeling, and financial knowledge systems. His work emphasizes practical applications like enterprise modeling, sustainable waste management, and regulatory compliance. Grants & Projects: Lead Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF)-funded Knowledge Graph Lab. Involved in projects like 'Knowledge Graph-driven Tour Management' (sustainability), 'SustainGraph' (waste processing), and 'Enterprise Architecture Knowledge Graphs'. Teaching: Offers courses on Knowledge Graphs, Generative AI, Database Systems, and research methodology. Supervises doctoral and master's students in AI, databases, and knowledge representation. Labs/Teams: Knowledge Graph Lab at TU Wien, collaborating with industry on blockchain-based systems, financial AI, and enterprise architecture frameworks.

Anthony D. JosephView profile

Professor

• Computer and Network Security
• Distributed Systems
• Mobile Computing
• +6 more

Anthony D. Joseph is a Chancellor's Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley, within the College of Engineering. He is a faculty member in the Computer Science Division and part of the RISE Lab and AMP Lab at UC Berkeley. His research spans multiple domains in computer science with a focus on security, distributed systems, and networking. Education: 1998, Ph.D., Computer Science, MIT 1988, S.M./S.B., Electrical Engineering and Computer Science/Computer Science and Engineering, MIT Professor Joseph's primary research interests include Computer and Network Security, Distributed Systems, Mobile Computing, Wireless Networking, Software Engineering, Operating Systems, Genomics, Secure Machine Learning, and Datacenters. His work has significant implications for both theoretical computer science and practical applications in industry. He leads multiple research projects including Mesos, SecML (Secure Machine Learning), D-Trigger, DETER, and Tapestry/Brochure. His research has been instrumental in advancing the fields of distributed systems and security, particularly in the context of machine learning applications. His publications reflect a strong focus on the intersection of security and distributed systems, with recent work emphasizing secure machine learning techniques and resource management in data centers. Professor Joseph's research has evolved from foundational work in networking and distributed systems to addressing contemporary challenges in cloud computing and AI security. Scientific Awards: Diane S. McEntyre Award for Excellence in Teaching Computer Science (2007) NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER) (2000) Okawa Research Grant (1999) Professor Joseph has advised numerous graduate and undergraduate students, many of whom have gone on to make significant contributions in academia and industry. His research has been supported by various grants, including the NSF CAREER award. He has been actively involved in teaching core computer science courses including CS162: Operating Systems and Systems Programming and CS262: Advanced Topics in Computer Systems. He leads several research groups including the AMP Lab (which focuses on data analytics) and has been instrumental in projects like Mesos (for resource sharing in data centers) and SecML (focusing on the security of machine learning systems). His labs work on cutting-edge problems at the intersection of systems, networking, and security, with applications ranging from cloud computing to critical infrastructure protection.

Priya NarasimhanView profile

Professor

• Dependable Distributed Systems
• Fault-Tolerance
• Embedded Systems
• +5 more

Priya Narasimhan is a Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), affiliated with the College of Engineering. Her research focuses on dependable distributed systems, fault-tolerance, embedded systems, mobile systems, and sports technology. She leads the Intel Science and Technology Center in Embedded Computing (ISTC-EC) and founded YinzCam, a CMU spin-off providing mobile live streaming to sports venues. She holds multiple awards, including the Sloan Fellowship and NSF CAREER Award. Education: Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from UC Santa Barbara. Notable roles include former CTO of Eternal Systems, Director of Intel Labs Pittsburgh, and Director of CMU's CyLab Mobility Research Center. Research spans failure diagnosis in distributed systems, live upgrades, mobile cloud computing, football technology, assistive tech for the blind (Trinetra), and civic tech (iBurgh). Over 30+ students advised across Ph.D., M.S., and undergraduate programs. Active in entrepreneurship, teaching (courses like 18-349 Embedded Systems), and industry collaborations.

Amin MesmoudiView profile

Associate Professor

• Data Engineering
• Machine Learning
• Anomaly Detection
• +5 more

Amin Mesmoudi serves as Associate Professor in Data Engineering at the University of Poitiers' IUT (Institut Universitaire de Technologie), with dual laboratory affiliations at LIAS-ENSIP (Poitiers campus) and LIAS-ISAE-ENSMA (Chasseneuil campus). His research bridges theoretical database systems with practical large-scale data engineering challenges, particularly in semantic web technologies and machine learning applications. The laboratory maintains physical presences at both ENSIP's Bâtiment B25 in Poitiers and ISAE-ENSMA's Téléport 2 facility in Chasseneuil, facilitating cross-institutional collaboration. Mesmoudi's research program centers on scalable data management systems, with three interconnected pillars: (1) RDF and graph-based query optimization techniques for billion-triple datasets, (2) machine learning integration for spatial query performance and anomaly detection, and (3) explainability frameworks for complex black-box models. His work demonstrates consistent evolution from foundational database systems (2011-2016) toward contemporary AI-driven data engineering, particularly evident in his 2023-2025 publications on temporal dependency preservation and co-selection explainability. The Data Engineering team within LIAS laboratory provides the primary research context for these investigations. Publication analysis reveals strong methodological continuity in addressing scalability bottlenecks across database paradigms. Early work focused on SQL-on-MapReduce benchmarking for astronomy databases (2015-2016), transitioning to specialized RDF processing frameworks (2019-2021), and culminating in current hybrid approaches combining temporal modeling with machine learning (2023-2025). Key technical themes include fragmentation strategies for distributed data, optimizer feedback mechanisms, and graph-based query acceleration - all targeting real-world performance constraints in big data environments. As a core member of LIAS laboratory's Data Engineering team, Mesmoudi contributes to France's national research infrastructure in computer science and automation systems. The laboratory's dual-university structure enables unique cross-pollination between University of Poitiers' academic programs and ISAE-ENSMA's engineering specialization, with Mesmoudi's work exemplifying this synergy through applications spanning astronomy databases to wireless sensor networks.

Peter HaasView profile

Professor

• Data Management
• Machine Learning
• Simulation
• +6 more

Peter Haas is a Professor at the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with an adjunct role in Industrial Engineering. Previously, he spent 30 years as a Principal Research Staff Member at IBM Research and held a consulting professorship in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford University. His research focuses on applying probability and statistics to data management, simulation of complex systems, and machine learning scalability. Education : PhD, Operations Research, Stanford University, 1986 MS, Statistics, Stanford University, 1984 MS, Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, 1979 SB, Engineering and Applied Physics, Harvard University, 1978 Research Interests : Haas’s work spans stochastic systems, probabilistic databases (e.g., MCDB and SimSQL), sampling techniques, and simulation optimization. He pioneered methods for managing uncertain data and scalable machine learning, including compressed linear algebra for declarative systems. His recent focus includes in-database decision support and hybrid simulation metamodeling with neural networks. Key Contributions : He developed the Online Aggregation framework (SIGMOD 1997), which earned a Test-of-Time Award in 2007. His work on matrix factorization and distributed stochastic gradient descent (DSGD) revolutionized large-scale machine learning. He also advanced techniques for estimating distinct-values and correlation discovery in databases. Awards : A six-time recipient of IBM’s Pat Goldberg Memorial Award, he is an ACM and INFORMS Fellow. His honors include the VLDB Best Paper Award (2016), EDBT Best Paper (2018), and recognition in Communications of the ACM. Advising & Grants : He advises four current PhD students and has graduated Matteo Brucato. His IBM career included over 30 patents, including foundational work for DB2’s sampling capabilities and IBM Watson analytics. He leads the DREAM Lab, focusing on data systems for exploration and analytics. Labs/Teams : Directs the Data systems Research for Exploration, Analytics, and Modeling (DREAM) Lab, advancing projects like Splash (health system simulation) and SuDocu (document summarization by example).

Paolo TrunfioView profile

Professor

• Computer Engineering
• Big Data Analysis
• Machine Learning
• +5 more

Paolo Trunfio is a Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Calabria, Italy, and co-founder of DtoK Lab S.r.l., an academic spin-off focused on data analysis and distributed systems. He holds a Ph.D. and is affiliated with the DIMES Department, specializing in big data, cloud computing, and high-performance computing (HPC). His research emphasizes scalable data analysis frameworks, edge-cloud continuum solutions, and machine learning applications for social media and disaster monitoring. Trunfio serves as an Associate Editor for ACM Computing Surveys and Journal of Big Data , and is on the editorial boards of several journals including Future Generation Computer Systems . He has authored four influential books, including Programming Big Data Applications (2024) and Data Analysis in the Cloud (2015). His work spans distributed systems, IoT-based smart objects, and exascale computing. Notable projects include the EU-funded eFlows4HPC and ASPIDE initiatives, which focus on HPC workflows and exascale programming models. Trunfio’s publications (over 200 papers) address topics like social media analytics, energy-efficient P2P networks, and parallel data mining. He leads research in urgent computing for disaster response, edge-cloud integration for urban mobility, and AI-driven data analysis. His contributions to cloud frameworks (e.g., JS4Cloud, ParSoDA) and HPC libraries (e.g., DCEx) highlight his expertise in bridging theory and practice in distributed computing ecosystems.

Changcheng HuangView profile

Professor

• Machine Learning
• Network Architecture
• Optical Networks
• +3 more

Changcheng Huang is a Professor at Carleton University's Department of Systems and Computer Engineering, part of the Faculty of Engineering and Design. He holds a Ph.D. from Carleton University and is licensed as P.Eng. His research focuses on Machine Learning, Network Architecture, and Optical Networks, emphasizing resource optimization and protocol design. Dr. Huang leads the Advanced Optical Network Laboratory (AONL), funded by CFI and OIT, which explores optical network technologies and interworking with electronic networks. His lab includes state-of-the-art equipment like Nortel switches and photonic switches. Recently, he advised PhD students Qiao Lu, Khoa Nguyen, and others, and completed postdoc Eslam G. AbdAllah. RA positions are available at both master's and PhD levels. His work spans publications in journals like IEEE Transactions and conferences such as Globecom and ICC. Research areas include intelligent network control mechanisms, wireless networks, and network protocol implementation. Education: Ph.D. (Carleton University). Research interests also include modeling/simulation techniques and reliability mechanisms for optical networks. He teaches courses like SYSC 5108 (Deep Learning) and SYSC 4602 (Computer Communications). Grants funded by CFI and OIT support his lab's optical networking projects. Over 150+ publications highlight his contributions to virtual network embedding, edge computing, and optical data center networks. Lab facilities include OMM photonic switches, Nortel routers, and Dell servers. Collaborative projects involve industry and academic partnerships, advancing interworking technologies between optical and electronic networks. His work bridges theoretical research with practical implementations, addressing challenges in network scalability, energy efficiency, and reliability.

Sheheeda Mariam ManakkaduView profile

Associate Professor

• Robotics
• Data Analytics
• Machine Learning
• +4 more

Sheheeda Mariam Manakkadu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She teaches graduate courses in Data Structures, Object-Oriented Programming, Data Mining, Text Mining, and Cloud Architecture, along with undergraduate courses in Operating Systems and Data Analytics. Ph.D., Computer Engineering M.E., Biomedical Engineering Her research spans robotics, data analytics, and parallel computing. Key areas include adaptive control of robotic manipulators, big data processing via MapReduce, IoT resource allocation, and computational bioinformatics for protein networks. Recent publications focus on neuro-sliding mode control, cloud architecture, and scalable recommender systems. She actively participates in academic service as a committee member for graduate courses and the IEEE Erie Section. Her work integrates machine learning, optimization algorithms, and distributed systems across diverse domains.

Xiaojun RuanView profile

Associate Professor

• Energy-Efficient Systems
• Cloud Computing
• Storage Systems Optimization
• +7 more

Xiaojun Ruan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at California State University, East Bay. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Auburn University (2011) and a B.E. in Computer Science and Technology from Shandong University (2005). His primary research focuses on energy-efficient systems, cloud computing optimization, storage systems, and security-aware resource management. He has extensive experience in thermal modeling, parallel I/O performance, and distributed deep learning frameworks. Dr. Ruan’s work emphasizes balancing energy efficiency, reliability, and performance in storage and cloud environments. Notable projects include DuoFS (hybrid storage system), energy-aware VM allocation strategies, and securing cloud infrastructure against co-residence attacks. His research bridges hardware-software co-design principles with practical system optimizations. His publications span topics from NVMe SSD performance optimization to text augmentation for spam detection, reflecting a blend of storage systems and machine learning applications. He has actively contributed to improving Shuffle I/O in big data processing, thermal management in clusters, and secure virtualization techniques. Dr. Ruan collaborates on interdisciplinary projects involving distributed computing, cybersecurity, and real-time systems. His lab focuses on deploying energy-efficient solutions while maintaining robust reliability, evidenced by over 50 peer-reviewed articles and ongoing contributions to academic conferences.