Alina Lazar

Dr. Alina Lazar is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Information Systems at Youngstown State University (YSU), part of the STEM College. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Wayne State University (2002) and a BS from Western University of Timisoara, Romania (1995). Her research focuses on Machine Learning, Data Science, and High Energy Physics applications, including Graph Neural Networks for particle tracking and traffic modeling using probe vehicle data. She has received multiple awards, including YSU Distinguish Professorships for Teaching (2025), Research (2022), and Service (2017). Lazar has secured a $600k grant from the DOE’s FAIR initiative for her work on large-scale models in HEP pattern recognition.

Her teaching includes advanced courses like Deep Learning and Data Science. She has advised numerous master's theses and projects, with students focusing on topics like bug detection, database systems, and code readability. Lazar serves on NSF and DOE review panels and chairs conferences like OCWiC. Her interdisciplinary collaborations span physics (Lawrence Berkeley Lab), transportation, and software engineering.