Hari Sundaram is a Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with affiliate appointments in the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, the Institute for Communication Research, and the Center for Social & Behavioral Science. His academic journey includes positions as Associate Professor at the University of Illinois (2014-2021) and Arizona State University (2002-2014), where he also served as Associate Director of the Arts, Media and Engineering program (2012-2009). Dr. Sundaram's educational background includes a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University (2002), an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stony Brook University (1995), and a B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (1993). His research, conducted through the Crowd Dynamics Lab, focuses on designing computational systems that empower individuals to make better decisions. His work spans Applied Machine Learning (particularly recommender systems), Network Science (studying how platform rules induce strategic behavior), Human-Computer Interaction (developing systems to elicit truthful preferences), and Mechanism Design (creating rules to incentivize pro-social behavior). His research has significant implications for understanding fairness and discrimination in online markets. Dr. Sundaram's work has been recognized with numerous awards including multiple Best Paper Awards from ACM CSCW (2023), Best Article Award from the Journal of Interactive Advertising (2020), ACM Distinguished Member (2019), IEEE Senior Member (2019), and several IBM Faculty Awards. He has also been consistently recognized for teaching excellence, receiving the "Teacher Ranked as Excellent" award multiple times. As leader of the Crowd Dynamics Lab, Dr. Sundaram oversees research that bridges computer science with social sciences, focusing on how computational systems can enhance human decision-making while addressing fairness concerns. His work has practical applications in online marketplaces, social media platforms, and educational technologies.



