Bertino named the Samuel D. Conte Distinguished Professor of Computer Science

08-05-2024

Elisa Bertino, the Samuel D. Conte Distinguished Professor of Computer Science

 

Bertino was officially ratified to the Samuel D. Conte Distinguished Professor of Computer Science 

At their last meeting, the Purdue University Board of Trustees ratified faculty appointments and approved resolutions of appreciation. Among the six accomplished individuals, Elisa Bertino was officially ratified to the Samuel D. Conte Distinguished Professor of Computer Science. 

This position is named in honor of Samuel D. Conte, who founded the first department of computer science in the United States at Purdue in 1962. 

This honor is a result of her accomplishments and dedication to furthering the field of computer science. Bertino’s research interests lie in computer and network security, with a focus on wireless network security and software security, and the use of AI for cybersecurity. 

Bertino’s impressive contributions through research have yielded a number of accolades and appointments. Among the awards and honors are the IEEE Computer Society’s Technical Achievement Award and Tsutomu Kanai Award; the Research Innovation Award from the IEEE Technical Committee on Services Computing; the ACM Athena Lecturer Award; the International Federation for Information Processing’s Kristian Beckman Award; the IEEE Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award; the Purdue College of Science’s Faculty Research Award; and more. She has served or is serving on the editorial boards of several journals such as ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Transactions on Information and System Security, IEEE Security & Privacy and IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing. She currently serves as the vice president of ACM.

In addition to her prominence in research, Bertino has mentored several women in computer science, and was selected as one of the Best Female Scientists in the world according to Research.com, undoubtedly inspiring many more. 

"Professor Bertino's pioneering cybersecurity and data privacy research has greatly influenced computer science,” said Petros Drineas, professor and head of the Department of Computer Science. 

“Importantly, her role as Vice President of the ACM underscores her dedication to advancing computing both as a science and a profession - a commitment that resonates deeply with our department's mission since its establishment as the first computer science department in the nation in 1962,” Drineas said.

 

About the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University

Founded in 1962, the Department of Computer Science was created to be an innovative base of knowledge in the emerging field of computing as the first degree-awarding program in the United States. The department continues to advance the computer science industry through research. US News & Reports ranks Purdue CS #8 in computer engineering and #19 and #18 overall in graduate and undergraduate computer science. Additionally the program is ranked 6th in cybersecurity, 8th in software engineering, 13th in systems, 15th in programming languages and data analytics, and 18th in theory. Graduates of the program are able to solve complex and challenging problems in many fields. Our consistent success in an ever-changing landscape is reflected in the record undergraduate enrollment, increased faculty hiring, innovative research projects, and the creation of new academic programs. The increasing centrality of computer science in academic disciplines and society, and new research activities—centered around foundations and applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning, such as natural language processing, human computer interaction, vision, and robotics, as well as systems and security—are the future focus of the department. cs.purdue.edu