The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University welcomes nine new faculty members to the department with research expertise in areas such as data science, artificial intelligence, computer graphics, quantum algorithms, systems and cybersecurity.
“With the unprecedented demand for computing professionals and the surge in computer science enrollments across the nation, faculty recruitment is a significant challenge,” said Dr. Dilma Da Silva, department head and professor. “We are delighted with our success in attracting talented, thriving researchers and educators of such high caliber.”
Dr. Shuiwang Ji, associate professor, received his doctoral degree in computer science from Arizona State University. Ji’s research interests include machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, vision and language, computational biology, and computational neuroscience. He is the recipient of a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Nima Kalantari, assistant professor, received his doctoral degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology. Before joining Texas A&M, he was a postdoc in the computer science and engineering department at the University of California, San Diego. Kalantari’s research interests are in computer graphics with an emphasis on computational photography and rendering. In recent years, he has focused on developing deep learning techniques for image synthesis in these two fields.
Dr. Abdullah Muzahid, assistant professor, received his doctoral and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his bachelor’s degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Before joining Texas A&M, he worked as an assistant professor in the computer science department at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Muzahid’s research interests include computer architecture, systems and artificial intelligence. He is the recipient of a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Guni Sharon, assistant professor, received his doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in information systems engineering from Ben-Gurion University. Before joining Texas A&M, he was a postdoc in the computer science department at The University of Texas at Austin. Sharon’s current work focuses on developing and applying artificial intelligence techniques for optimizing transportation networks. He is the recipient of the Outstanding Paper Award from the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.
Dr. Fang Song, assistant professor, received his doctoral degree from Pennsylvania State University, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Science & Technology of China. Before joining Texas A&M, he was an assistant professor in the computer science department at Portland State University and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Quantum Computing and combinatorics and optimization department at the University of Waterloo. Song’s research interests include post-quantum cryptography, quantum algorithms, computational complexity and theoretical computer science.
Dr. Chia-Che Tsai, assistant professor, received his doctoral degree from Stony Brook University, his master’s degree from Columbia University and his bachelor’s degree from National Taiwan University. Before joining Texas A&M, he was a postdoc at the RISELab at the University of California, Berkeley. Tsai’s research interests include operating systems and runtimes, software system security, secure hardware, virtualization, and cloud computing. He is the recipient of an EuroSys Best Paper Award.
Dr. David Kebo Houngninou, instructional assistant professor, received his doctoral degree in computer engineering from Southern Methodist University, his master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Evansville. Before joining Texas A&M, he was an adjunct lecturer at Southern Methodist University and previously held research, development and engineering positions with IBM, NXP Semiconductors and Magellan Integration, respectively.
Robert Lightfoot, lecturer, received his master’s degree in software engineering from Southern Methodist University and his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Texas A&M. Before joining Texas A&M, he worked at Ericsson (now Sony-Ericsson) in the network development and Digital Switch Corporation, and Motorola in cellular infrastructure development, project management and technical marketing. He also owned a company that developed custom networked and computer-controlled automation equipment.
Dr. Tim McGuire, instructional professor, received his doctoral degree in computer science from Texas A&M, his master’s degree in mathematics from Colorado State University and his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from LeTourneau College. Before joining Texas A&M, he was an associate professor of computer science at Sam Houston State University. McGuire is the recipient of multiple NASA/American Society for Engineering Education Faculty Fellowships at space flight centers.