Randal Burns

Randal Burns is a Professor and the Bill and Lisa Stromberg Head of the Department of Computer Science in the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He is also affiliated with the Data Science and AI Institute and co-founder of NeuroData.

His research focuses on scalable data systems for scientific applications, spanning storage technologies, cloud infrastructure, and graph/sparse-matrix engines for machine learning. Key themes include data-intensive science, neuroscience imaging analysis, and adaptive performance management.

Recent publications highlight trends in

• edge-parallel graph encoders
• masked matrix operations for sparsity
• decentralized foundation model training
• storage optimization for evolving AI models
• batch-parallel data structures
• turbulence data analysis

These reflect his work on scalable systems for machine learning and scientific computing.

Scientific awards include

• NSF CAREER Award
• DOE Early Career Principal Investigator
• Kavli Fellowship
• IBM Outstanding Innovation Award

Advising: Mentors PhD students in scalable data systems and machine learning. Grants: Supported by NSF, DOE, and DARPA initiatives. Labs: Core member of the Johns Hopkins Turbulence Database Group and NeuroData team, developing open platforms for neuroscience and turbulence research.