Sheldon H Jacobson

Sheldon H Jacobson is a Founder Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his research applies operations research and artificial intelligence to public sector problems and public policy.

His educational background includes:

• B.Sc in Mathematics from McGill University
• Ph.D. in Operations Research from Cornell University

Dr. Jacobson's research spans high-impact public policy domains: foundational risk-based aviation security models that informed TSA PreCheck design, computational redistricting algorithms to combat gerrymandering (hosted at redistricting.cs.illinois.edu), and NCAA basketball analytics as a STEM educational platform (at bracketodds.cs.illinois.edu) attracting over 800,000 page views since 2012. His work bridges theoretical optimization with real-world policy implementation across security, political science, and sports analytics.

His scientific recognition includes:

• INFORMS Impact Prize
• Aviation Security Research Award from Aviation Security International
• Guggenheim Fellowship
• Elected Fellow of INFORMS
• Elected Fellow of IISE
• Elected Fellow of AAAS

Dr. Jacobson maintains significant government engagement through briefings for the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, committee service for the National Research Council and National Academy of Medicine, and leadership of NSF-funded initiatives including the Broader Impacts Innovation Roadmap workshop. His prior role as NSF Program Director (2012-2014) demonstrates deep integration with federal research infrastructure.

His research group operates two major public-facing platforms: the computational redistricting project serving as both policy tool and academic resource, and the NCAA analytics laboratory functioning as a large-scale STEM education environment for students nationwide.