Paul S. LaFollette, Jr.

Paul S. LaFollette, Jr. MD serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences within Temple University's College of Science & Technology. With a unique dual background in medicine and computer science, he has maintained continuous faculty appointment since 1982 (promoted to Associate Professor in 1987) and served as Department Chair from 2002-2005. His current teaching responsibilities include CIS 2168 (Data Structures) as evidenced by active course materials.

Education:

• B.S. in Mathematics, Duke University (1969)
• M.D., Temple University School of Medicine (1974)

LaFollette's research traverses two distinct domains: early biomedical engineering work in ultrasound diagnostics (1970s-1980s) and sustained contributions to theoretical computer science (1990s-2000s). His primary expertise lies in combinatorial algorithms, particularly loopless generation techniques for trees, permutations, and combinatorial structures. Significant secondary interests include program visualization systems for education and medical imaging physics. This dual trajectory reflects his transition from medical practice to computer science academia.

His 15 most recent publications reveal a clear evolution from biomedical engineering (1980s-early 1990s) to pure computer science (mid-1990s onward), with nearly all post-1998 work focusing on combinatorial generation algorithms. The overwhelming majority appear in top theoretical computer science venues, demonstrating sustained contributions to discrete mathematics and algorithm design. Medical imaging research continues to inform his approach to visual representation problems.

Scientific Recognition:

• NIH Post-Doctoral Fellowship (1975-1977)

LaFollette secured multiple competitive grants including two Ben Franklin Partnership awards ($40,000 each as PI for Advanced Visual Automata Systems I & II) and NIH funding ($39,800 as Senior Investigator for ultrasound artifact research). While no formal advising records appear in source materials, his program visualization research (1998-2000) directly supported classroom instruction through tools like the Visual Interface for C/C++ animation. His departmental leadership as Chair (2002-2005) further demonstrates institutional commitment.

Though no dedicated lab is mentioned, his research manifests through collaborative projects with J. Korsh (algorithms) and R. Sangwan (visualization), suggesting a small research group focused on combinatorial generation and educational tools. Current course development indicates ongoing engagement with computer science pedagogy despite his 1947 birth year.