Four UMIACS Faculty Promoted to Academic Rank of Full Professor

In recognition of continued excellence in research, scholarship and outreach, four faculty members in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS) have received academic promotions from their respective departments and colleges.

Sridhar Hannenhalli (cell biology and molecular genetics), Jimmy Lin (iSchool), Atif Memon (computer science) and Paul Torrens (geographical sciences) have all been promoted from associate professor to full professor, effective July 1.

Each of them contributes significantly to the research mission of UMIACS, says Amitabh Varshney, director of the institute.

Hannenhalli is an expert in comparative genomics, transcriptional regulation and evolution; Lin conducts research that takes place at the intersection of natural language processing and information retrieval; Memon focuses on event driven systems, software testing and software engineering; and Torrens works on the development of geosimulation and geocomputation tools, as well as systems able to model complex urban systems.

In addition to research, Hannenhalli, Lin, Memon and Torrens are committed to educating students, both at the undergraduate and graduate level, to ensure that new ideas and discoveries will continue to flourish in their respective areas of expertise.