Interdisciplinary computer scientist Daniel Huttenlocher named new dean of CIS


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Daniel Huttenlocher

Daniel P. Huttenlocher, Cornell's John P. and Rilla Neafsey Professor of Computing, Information Science and Business, has been named the university's dean of the Faculty of Computing and Information Science (CIS). He succeeds Robert L. Constable, who is stepping down June 30, when his second five-year term concludes.

"Dan Huttenlocher is the ideal choice for dean, given his history of outstanding work in CIS, his broad interest in computer science, information science and statistics, and his vision for the future of this growing interdisciplinary program," said Provost Kent Fuchs, who announced the appointment. "I also want to thank Bob Constable for his leadership as CIS's founding dean."

President David Skorton added: "I am very pleased that Dan Huttenlocher will be bringing his vision and expertise to the position of dean of CIS. He has the strong support of the faculty and of Provost Fuchs and myself."

CIS is an interdisciplinary program that stretches across campus with more than 50 affiliated faculty members. CIS has three main components, comprising faculty from the Department of Computer Science, the Information Science program and the Department of Statistical Science, in addition to faculty with joint appointments across the university.

In 1998-99, Huttenlocher chaired the Cornell Task Force on Computing and Information Science, which led to the creation of CIS. In 2005-06, he also chaired the Cornell Task Force on Wisdom in the Age of Digital Information.

"I am excited by the opportunity to lead such an academically outstanding group," Huttenlocher said. "Building on Cornell's long-standing strengths in computer science and statistics, we have also created one of the nation's leading information science programs in the past few years. The vibrancy and growth of all three of these areas provides us with a broad range of exciting new opportunities for education and research -- both on fundamental scientific questions and on issues of substantial importance to our increasingly information-soaked society."

Huttenlocher's recent research has focused on computer vision, large-scale social networks in cyberspace and autonomous vehicles. His research in computer vision ranges from theoretical algorithms, using techniques from computational geometry and graph algorithms, to the development of systems for visual recognition. Huttenlocher's work on autonomous vehicles grew out of his role as an adviser to the student Cornell DARPA Urban Challenge race team, which built a robot car that can drive itself through city streets.

A Stephen H. Weiss Presidential fellow at Cornell, Huttenlocher also is a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He teaches courses on computer vision, data structures and functional programming, the strategic role of information technology and the management of technology-driven businesses.

Constable served as chair of the Department of Computer Science for six years before becoming dean of the new CIS in 1999. After a one-year leave, he plans to return full time to his research on computer system integrity, computational mathematics and tools for automated computer programming.

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