Nisheeth Vishnoi honored by Association for Computing Machinery

Nisheeth Vishnoi, professor of computer science, has been named a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society.

ACM named 58 new fellows, drawing from an elite group of computer scientists at universities, companies, and research centers around the world. They were honored for their fundamental contributions to artificial intelligence, cloud computing, quantum computing, wireless networking, and combating cybercrime, which underpin the technologies that define the digital age.

Vishnoi was selected “for contributions to theoretical computer science and its connections with mathematics, sciences, and social sciences.”

At Yale, Vishnoi is co-founder of the Computation and Society Initiative. His research looks at how theoretical computer science can help understand and address some of the key questions that arise in nature and society. His current focus is on natural algorithms, the emergence of intelligence, and foundational questions in algorithmic fairness.

“Nisheeth’s presence on campus has transformed our thinking about how computer science sits within the larger university context,” said Jeffrey Brock, dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences and Faculty of Arts and Science dean of science. “His work to open new conversations with leaders from a broad range of fields, including law, policy, ethics, and the arts, has challenged us to imagine computational thinking as a critical part of every discipline.”

The 2019 fellows will be honored at a banquet in June 2020 in San Francisco. The Association for Computing Machinery fellows program began in 1993.

“I feel honored to be recognized as an ACM fellow and hope to take my quest for interdisciplinary research centered around computation to the next level here at Yale,” Vishnoi said.