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Stephanie Forrest Selected as UNM?s Annual Research Lecturer

April 25, 2012

Professor of Computer Science Stephanie Forrest has been selected as the 2012 Annual Research Lecturer, announced Vice President for Research Julia Fulghum. This award is one of the highest honors that UNM bestows on a faculty member. The lecture will be presented in the Fall of 2012.

Selected by the UNM Research Policy Committee, and nominated by peers from across the United States and abroad, Forrest is noted for her exceptional abilities and knowledge, outstanding research efforts, creativity, leadership, and mentorship to a number of students and faculty.

Forrest came to UNM in 1990 and is acknowledged for transforming the Department of Computer Science into an interdisciplinary and high-activity research department, as well as securing UNM’s reputation as a leader in the study of complex systems.

Her expertise ranges from topics such as automated software repair and creating adaptive immune systems for nullifying computer viruses, to bringing the worlds of computer science and biology together through her work with computational modeling of biological systems, and computational immunology.

“Dr. Forrest’s creativity and interdisciplinary zeal have laid the foundations for evolvable computer systems that can meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and interconnected world,” says UNM Distinguished Professor of Biology James Brown.
Forrest has served in various capacities, including Research Professor and Science Board member and co-chair, at the Santa Fe Institute and served as Chair of the Department of Computer Science at UNM for five years, where she improved educational resources, undergraduate enrollment, and faculty diversity.

Recently, Forrest participated in the prestigious 2012 World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, presenting a paper titled “Risks in a Hyperconnected World.” “Stephanie’s invitation to participate in the Forum has been a major breakthrough for the computer science faculty and department in general,” notes George Luger, Chair of the UNM Department of Computer Science.

Says Jennifer Rexford, Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University, “Stephanie is an incomparable researcher making fundamental contributions to ‘grand challenge’ problems in computer science. She is a thought leader in the community through her research, her considerable professional service, and generous mentoring of junior colleagues.”

The University of New Mexico congratulates Stephanie Forrest for her outstanding research and achievements.

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