Caltech Professor Named Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery

Adam Wierman, professor of computing and mathematical sciences and director of information science and technology, has been named a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

“Many of these new 52 Distinguished Members have been selected for important technical achievements,” Yannis Ioannidis, president of ACM, said. “Others have been chosen because of their service and/or work in computer science education, which lays the foundation for the future of the field.”

To qualify as a Distinguished Member, candidates must have spent at least 15 years in the profession and made significant contributions to the field of computing, while also serving as a mentor for others.

Wierman takes a theory-first system design approach, but his theoretical work in mathematical tools for machine learning has been quickly deployed into algorithms that optimize everything from adaptive EV charging (PowerFlex), smart grid management (SCE), and resource allocation in the cloud (Microsoft, Google), to the design of carbon-first data centers (HP, Apple). “One goal of the work in our group,” Wierman says, “is to design the algorithms needed for 100 percent renewable-driven, carbon-free data centers.”

As a professor at Caltech for the past 15 years, Wierman has mentored hundreds of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs in the science and art of making networked systems sustainable and resilient. He also teaches students about the present and future of computer science education from kindergarten through community college.

“Working with students and collaborators across computer science and beyond has been extremely rewarding,” Wierman says. “It is an honor to have my work recognized by the ACM.”

This year’s ACM honorees are both academics and industry professionals. They come not only from the United States and Canada, but also from Italy, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Israel, China, Scotland, Germany, and Belgium.