When: 9:00AM ~ 10:30AM, November 30, 2017

Where: CSB130

Abstract:As computer science is evolving into an area of learning at multiple levels and an area of research that has relevance to many disciplines, we are in a privileged position to make a difference. A highly productive and visible computer science department is the key to the growth and development of a top-tier Research I university. In recent years, the computer science department at Colorado State University has made significant strides in research and pedagogy. Faculty, including recently hired ones, have been actively contributing to research in many areas. Graduates of the department have excelled in industry and academia. With this background, the department has the potential to be rated among the Top 25 Computer Science departments in 6-8 years. A discussion on the specifics of such a path and a vision for the future of the department will be presented. 

A summary of the speaker's research in parallel and distributed systems, and pervasive and mobile computing will be presented. An overview of the ongoing/planned research related to smart contracts in pervasive systmes and IoT will follow. Speaker's accomplishments and experiences as a department chair, program director, graduate coordinator, conference chair, and journal editor will be mentioned.

Bio:Mohan Kumar is a professor and the chair of the Department of Computer Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  Prior to 2013, Mohan held faculty positions at the University of Texas at Arlington and the Curtin University, Perth, Australia. His current research interests include pervasive and mobile computing and parallel and distributed systems. Mohan has published over 180 articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings, and supervised 17 doctoral dissertations and 32 MS theses in the above areas. He has received research funding of over 7 million dollars, as a PI or Co-PI in funded projects. Mohan is one of the founding editors of the Elsevier’s Pervasive and Mobile Computing Journal. He is a co-founder and Chair of the Steering Committee of the IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications (IEEE PerCom) now in its 16th year. Mohan received his PhD degree from the Indian Institute of Science in 1992.