World's Largest Computing Association Announces Election of New Leaders
University of Athens Professor Yannis Ioannidis Elected ACM President
New York, NY, June 3, 2022 – ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, has announced the election of new officers who will lead the organization for a two-year term beginning July 1. Heading the new team will be incoming President Yannis Ioannidis. Ioannidis is Professor of Informatics and Telecommunications at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, and a faculty affiliate at Athena Research and Innovation Center, also in Athens. Joining Ioannidis as Vice President will be Elisa Bertino, Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University; and, as Secretary/Treasurer, John West, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Texas Advanced Computing Center. In addition, Members-at-Large elected to four-year terms are Rashmi Mohan of Splunk Inc., and Michelle Zhou of Juji, Inc.
President-elect Ioannidis said he will use his experience from earlier volunteer positions to help ACM strengthen its leadership role, keep its finger on the pulse of the evolving needs of the computing community and expand its services. In addition, he plans to focus on five key areas including: expanding the footprint of ACM to foster more interdisciplinary areas; facilitating open science methods; prioritizing social responsibility; joining forces with other organizations to address global challenges; and recalibrating ACM for the next generation.
"In the area of social responsibility, we hope to promote ACM's Code of Ethics more widely," Ioannidis explained. "Because of the enormous impact that computing has, we should also find new ways to advise policymakers on cutting-edge technologies that may have significant consequences on society. In our digital age, we need to be mindful of how computing technology may pose threats to democracy, increase inequality, and result in a potential loss of privacy. We are in an exciting and transformational time in computing. ACM can become the leading voice for the application of technological innovation within clear ethical boundaries."
Ioannidis is an ACM Fellow whose research focuses on database and information systems, data science, data and text analytics, and recommender systems. An ACM member since 1983, he served as ACM Secretary/Treasurer (2018–2020), Special Interest Group on Management of Data (SIGMOD) Chair (2009–2013), and SIGMOD Vice-Chair (2005–2009). He has also served as a member of the ACM Europe Council, the SIG Governing Board Executive Committee, and the ACM Publications Board. Currently he serves on the ACM Digital Library Board.
Elisa Bertino, incoming ACM Vice President, has similar priorities to Ioannidis. "I would like to see ACM serve the field in a broad and multidisciplinary way," she said. "Our goals should also include broadening diversity in our field, supporting younger researchers, and fostering more open access to ACM's resources. Last, but not least, we must make sure that ACM stays technically relevant by organizing workshops and conferences on emerging technologies and applications."
Bertino was named an ACM Fellow for contributions to secure database systems. Within the data security and privacy field, she is especially known for pioneering innovations in context-based access control and data protection from insider threats. Her recent work focuses on security of cellular networks and IoT systems. In 2020, Bertino was elected to the ACM Executive Council as Secretary/Treasurer. She also served as Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Security, Audit and Control (SIGSAC) from 2009–2013 and co-founded of the ACM Conference on Data and Application Security and Privacy (CODASPY). The conference started in 2011 and has become the main forum for high-quality research on data privacy and security.
John West, ACM's newly elected Secretary/Treasurer, believes ACM is well positioned to advocate for the ethical use of technology. "The pace of change in our profession, as in society, is dramatic," West said. "We face intense and exciting technical challenges as we create the tools of a new generation. As ethical professionals we also have an obligation to address important questions about who benefits from these tools, and who may be left behind."
An expert in high performance computing, West is responsible for ensuring that the Texas Advanced Computing Center provides the right mix of technology and expertise to enable its tens of thousands of users to make new scientific discoveries across hundreds of scientific disciplines. West is one of the founders of and currently serves as Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on High Performance Computing (SIGHPC), having previously served as Vice Chair. West also served as founding Co-Chair of ACM's Diversity and Inclusion Council and has held leadership roles with ACM conferences and on various task forces and editorial boards.
About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.
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