Computer Science Professor Honored

Dr. Nian-Feng Tzeng of our School of Computing and Informatics and Center for Advanced Computer Studies has been named a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery.

Tzeng is among 67 researchers from across the world recognized this year. Tzeng was recognized as an ACM Distinguished Member for outstanding scientific contributions to large reliable computer systems. The ACM is the world’s largest association of computing educators, researchers and professionals, according to its website. Founded in 1947, it has 100,000 members. In addition to the U.S., this year’s ACM Distinguished Members work at universities, corporations and research institutions in Australia, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

“It’s a special honor for any researcher, and I’m grateful to have been included among such an elite group. It provides determination and motivation for me to move forward and advance my work, to bring further recognition to UL Lafayette and to help push the forefront of computing,” Tzeng said. His areas of research expertise include high-performance computer architecture and systems, parallel and distributed processing, cloud computing, computer communications and networks, and dependable computing and networked systems. Tzeng, who joined UL Lafayette in 1987, has generated $13.2 million in research grants and contracts from entities such as the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Louisiana Board of Regents and the U.S. Army. He is currently directing a multistate, $5 million NSF research project to address precise weather forecasting intelligently, a collaborative effort being undertaken by 13 investigators with expertise in areas such as computer science and engineering, meteorology and biological hydrology. Over the past two years, the project has generated $2.2 million in external funding As part of another key research project, Tzeng was principal investigator for a $4.55 million effort that examined grid computing and wireless communication. The DOE and the state of Louisiana funded the multiyear project. He led a team of 15 researchers that collectively produced 55 publications and earned seven NSF grants.

Tzeng has received the University’s Distinguished Professor Award, which recognizes educators for their research, teaching effectiveness, and contributions to their professions and to campus life. He is an International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Fellow. Tzeng earned a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Photo caption: UL Lafayette’s Dr. Nian-Feng Tzeng is among 67 researchers from across the world recognized this year as a Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery. (Photo credit: Doug Dugas / University of Louisiana at Lafayette)