The Computing Research Association (CRA) Board of Directors plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the computing research community. Serving on the CRA Board is a prestigious opportunity to lead, guide, and give back to the community — and it is also a serious commitment. CRA’s Board is a working board — one that dedicates its time, expertise, and personal resources to advancing CRA’s mission, driving strategic initiatives, and championing efforts to strengthen the computing research ecosystem.

2026 Board of Directors Election Results

With a record number of votes cast in this year’s election, CRA members elected nine individuals to serve on its Board of Directors — seven academic representatives and two non-academic representatives. Those named below will serve from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.

Academic Representatives (7 seats)

• Alex Aiken (Stanford University)
• Mary Hall (University of Utah)
• Raquel Hill (Spelman College)
• David Kotz (Dartmouth College)
• Ming Lin (University of Maryland)
• Lydia Tapia (University of New Mexico)
• Michela Taufer (University of Tennessee)

Non-Academic Representatives (2 seats)

• Elizabeth Bruce (Microsoft)
• Wen-mei Hwu (NVIDIA)

CRA thanks all of the candidates who ran for a seat on the Board of Directors this election cycle, and all members who participated in the election.

Newly Elected CRA Board Members

CRA is thrilled to welcome the following newly elected members to its Board of Directors.

Elizabeth Bruce (Microsoft)

Elizabeth Bruce is Director of Science & Innovation Policy at Microsoft and brings two decades of experience leading research and innovation initiatives across industry, academia, and government. Her work has focused on building effective public-private partnerships for R&D and strengthening the research-to-impact pipeline. 

Bruce has been actively engaged in CRA-Industry activities and co-led the establishment and funding of the CRA–Microsoft Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship program (launched in July 2025), supporting initiatives that advance AI for science and education, research partnerships, and policy-facing engagement in the public interest.

David Kotz (Dartmouth College)

David Kotz is a Professor at Dartmouth College and a nationally recognized leader in computing security and privacy. His career has included significant contributions across mobile systems, wireless-network measurement and security, and smart home privacy, as well as the co-founding of CRAWDAD (Community Resource for Archiving Wireless Data At Dartmouth), a long-running resource supporting the research community.

Kotz brings extensive leadership experience in academia and service to the broader research ecosystem, including senior administrative experience at Dartmouth during periods of major institutional challenge and change.

Michela Taufer (University of Tennessee)

Michela Taufer is the MathWorks Professor at the University of Tennessee and a leader in high-performance computing, reproducible cyberinfrastructure, and trustworthy AI/ML systems for scalable science. She has been deeply engaged with CRA through service on the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Council, helping translate research priorities into policy guidance and community convenings.

Taufer brings governance and fiduciary experience through leadership roles in professional societies and publishing, along with long-standing collaborations across academia, labs, and research infrastructure communities.

Continuing CRA Board Members

The following members of the Board of Directors will continue their service on the CRA Board for the coming year.

Alex Aiken (Stanford University)

Alex Aiken is a Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University and serves as Computer Science Division Director at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. He has served on the CRA Board of Directors since 2020 and currently serves as Chair of CRA’s Government Affairs Committee. He also co-chaired (with Nancy Amato) a CRA working group that produced CRA’s report on Research Integrity.

Mary Hall (University of Utah)

Mary Hall is a Professor and Director at the University of Utah and has served on the CRA Board since 2015. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the CRA Board and as a member of the Executive Committee. Hall has played a significant role in CRA’s mentoring efforts and has also contributed to strengthening industry-academia engagement through CRA-Industry activities.

Raquel Hill (Spelman College)

Raquel Hill is Department Chair of the Computer and Information Sciences Department at Spelman College and has served on the CRA Board since 2022. She has contributed to CRA governance and community engagement efforts, including service on the CRA Governance Working Group and the CRA Conference at Snowbird Organizing Committee. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the 2026 CRA Summit.

Wen-mei Hwu (NVIDIA)

Wen-mei Hwu is Senior Director of Research at NVIDIA and a widely recognized leader in parallel computing and computer architecture. He has served on the CRA Board as an industry representative since 2025, completing a prior term and continuing his service through this election. Hwu brings extensive experience leading large-scale government–industry–academic research collaborations and contributes a strong cross-sector perspective to the Board’s work.

Ming Lin (University of Maryland)

Ming Lin is a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland and has served on the CRA Board since 2023, including as Treasurer beginning in 2025. Lin has been deeply engaged in CRA-WP mentoring and professional development programs, including long-time leadership with DREU and Graduate Cohort, and she has supported CRA community-building efforts through mentoring workshops and cross-cutting initiatives.

Lydia Tapia (University of New Mexico)

Lydia Tapia is a Professor at the University of New Mexico whose research focuses on computational methods for decision-making in complex systems, including robotics, motion planning, reinforcement learning, and human–AI teaming. She has served on the CRA Board since 2023 and has contributed to CRA’s mentoring and community-building ecosystem through sustained engagement with professional development programs, including Graduate Cohort activities and regional cohort-building efforts.

Thanking Our Recently Exited and Soon-to-Exit Board Members

Serving on the CRA Board of Directors requires a significant commitment of time, expertise, and dedication. We are deeply grateful for the service of those who have helped guide and support CRA’s mission through their work on the Board.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Gene Spafford (Purdue University), who recently completed Board service. Current Board member Rachel Pottinger (University of British Columbia) is stepping into Spafford’s vacated ACM society representative role.

In addition, three Board members’ terms of service will end June 30, 2026: Sandhya Dwarkadas (University of Virginia), Kinnis Gosha (Morehouse College), and Samir Khuller (Northwestern University).

We sincerely appreciate their contributions and dedication to the computing research community.

Stay Up to Date on CRA Board Activities

The CRA Board of Directors will next convene in July. For updates on the CRA Board, including agendas and programmatic committee updates, as well as Board Meeting summaries, subscribe to the CRA Bulletin and Computing Research News.

The Computing Research Association (CRA), with support from Microsoft, is now accepting applications for the second cohort of the CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship for Early Career Scholars. Building on the success of its inaugural year, the fellowship supports early-career computing researchers who are advancing trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) through interdisciplinary engagement with the humanistic social sciences.

Launched in response to recommendations from the 2022 National Academies report Fostering Responsible Computing Research, the fellowship is designed to help emerging scholars integrate ethical, societal, and human-centered considerations into AI research and development — while building durable professional networks at a pivotal career stage.

Building on a Strong First Year

The first cohort of CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellows began in 2025 and participated in a 15-month program combining structured training, collaborative research, and national engagement. An evaluation of the inaugural in-person Field School, conducted by CRA’s Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline (CERP), found strong early outcomes:

• 100 percent of Fellows reported establishing new peer and mentor connections
• 89 percent reported feeling quite or completely confident in their ability to promote trustworthy AI research following the Field School
• 78 percent reported strong gains in articulating the value of interdisciplinary work and engaging with ethical AI questions

These findings underscore the fellowship’s role in strengthening both community and professional confidence among early-career scholars navigating complex interdisciplinary research spaces.

Meet some of the 2025-2026 Fellows via our Fellows Q&A series: 

• Yasmine Kotturi 
• Diana Freed 
• Calvin Liang

Fellowship Structure and Focus

The second cohort, running from July 2026 through June 2027, will follow a similar structure, combining in-person and virtual engagement to support sustained collaboration. Fellowship activities include:

• A virtual kickoff meeting in June 2026
• A four-day, in-person Trustworthy AI Field School (July 26-31, 2026, Cambridge, MA), co‑located with the Sloan Foundation’s Metascience & AI Summer School and Northeastern University’s AI + Data Ethics (AIDE) Summer Training Program
• Quarterly virtual convenings throughout the fellowship
• Opportunities to engage in or lead Trustworthy AI initiatives at CRA partner institutions, including CRA member and CAHSI institutions
• Opportunities for mentorship from established scholars and practitioners advancing trustworthy computing. Past mentors include Barbara Grosz, Desmond Patton, Moshe Vardi, James Mickens, and Bobby Kleinberg. 

“The CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship reflects our continued commitment to fostering responsible innovation by connecting computing research with insights from the social sciences,” said Tracy Camp, Executive Director and CEO of CRA. “With the second cohort, we’re building on early momentum and further investing in scholars who will help shape the future of AI research.”

“Effectively addressing the societal complexities of AI requires collaboration across disciplines,” said Mary L. Gray, Senior Principal Researcher with Microsoft Research and Fellowship Advisory Committee Chair. “This fellowship creates space for early-career researchers to explore those intersections and contribute to solutions aligned with the National Academies’ vision.”

Fellowship Benefits

Selected Fellows will receive:

• A $17,000 stipend
• Travel, lodging, and meals for the in-person Field School
• Structured interdisciplinary training and mentoring
• Ongoing peer engagement through quarterly virtual meetings
• Increased national visibility within the computing research community

Application Information

Applications for the second cohort are due March 31, 2026 (12:00 midnight PT).

Eligible applicants must:

• Be 1-3 years post-PhD (conferral between May 1, 2023 and July 1, 2025)
• Hold a primary doctoral degree in a computing-related field
• Have secondary training and qualitative research experience in a humanistic social science discipline
• Hold a tenure-track faculty or visiting researcher position (e.g., postdoc or fellowship) at a U.S. institution of higher education

The application consists of a brief online form, a CV, and short written responses describing applicants’ interdisciplinary background, interest in the fellowship, and experience with or interest in community-based and public-interest approaches to trustworthy AI.

Help Spread the Word

CRA encourages academic leaders and members of the computing research community to share this opportunity with early-career scholars whose work bridges computing and the social sciences.

For more information or questions about the fellowship, please contact Janine Myszka at jmyszka@cra.org.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is pleased to announce the 2026 Election Committee’s slate of candidates for the CRA Board of Directors. 

Academic (7 Openings)

• Alex Aiken* (Stanford University)
• Cindy Bethel (Mississippi State University)
• Bruce Draper (Colorado State University)
• Sandhya Dwarkadas* (University of Virginia)
• Kinnis Gosha* (Morehouse College)
• Mary Hall* (University of Utah)
• Raquel Hill* (Spelman College)
• Samir Khuller* (Northwestern University)
• David Kotz (Dartmouth College)
• Ming Lin* (University of Maryland)
• Lydia Tapia* (University of New Mexico)

Non-Academic (2 Openings)

• Lisa Amini (IBM Research)
• Elizabeth Bruce (Microsoft)
• Te-Yuan Huang (Netflix)
• Wen-mei Hwu* (NVIDIA)

*Denotes current Board Members. 

Petition Nominees Sought 

CRA also encourages nominations by petition. Petition nominations must be signed by the Designated Voting Representatives of at least 10 Constituent Member Organizations that are current in dues payment.

A complete nomination package for petition candidates must be submitted here no later than January 16, 2026. Separately, each of the 10 supporters of the petition must send an email to elections@cra.org simply stating their support for the petition candidate to run for a seat on the CRA Board of Directors.

Questions may be sent to elections@cra.org. 

Important Dates and Events 

In January, final ballots will be distributed to all CRA member contacts. Voting will be done by ranked vote. All candidates can be ranked in the ballot. 

By February 13, completed ballots must be returned to CRA.

The election results will be announced by the end of February.

As digital systems become deeply embedded in everyday life, the computing research community is facing urgent questions about how technology can better support the public good. A growing field known as Public Interest Technology (PIT) offers one pathway, bringing together interdisciplinary expertise to design, deploy, and evaluate technologies with a clear understanding of their societal impact.

To explore the current landscape of PIT and identify opportunities for strengthening this work across academia, the Computing Research Association (CRA) and the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) convened three national roundtables between November 2024 and February 2025. The new report — Public Interest Technology (PIT) Roundtable Discussions: PIT Benefits, Barriers, and Recommendations for the Computing Research Community — authored by Andreen Soley (PIT-UN), Deirdre K. Mulligan (University of California, Berkeley), Jim Kurose (University of Massachusetts Amherst), and Eduardo Gonzalez (Justice & Innovation Expert), summarizes the key insights that emerged.

What Is Public Interest Technology?

Public Interest Technology is an interdisciplinary approach focused on creating and governing technology in ways that advance the public good. PIT recognizes that technology does not operate in isolation: computing intersects with law, policy, economics, social systems, and the lived experiences of communities.

“Public interest technology invites us to broaden the scope of computing,” said Andreen Soley, report co-author and Director of the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN). “It asks not only what we can build, but what we should build — and how our work can meaningfully support the people and communities we serve.”

Rather than residing within a single discipline, PIT draws from computer science, engineering, law, public policy, the social sciences, the humanities, and design. This breadth helps researchers and students understand not just what technology does, but whom it serves and how it shapes daily life. PIT encourages sociotechnical thinking — connecting technical problem-solving with context, impact, and public purpose.

What the Roundtables Explored

Across the three discussions, participants examined high-level questions about the benefits of PIT, the structural barriers institutions face in supporting it, and the types of investments that could strengthen PIT’s presence across the computing ecosystem.

Participants highlighted PIT’s potential to enrich student learning, deepen community engagement, and demonstrate the societal value of computing research. They also identified familiar challenges: disciplinary silos, reward structures that privilege traditional outputs, heavy reliance on individual faculty initiative, and limited sustainable funding.

“The roundtable discussions made clear that PIT isn’t a separate track or niche area,” said Deirdre Mulligan, report co-author and Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information. “It’s a set of competencies and perspectives that can strengthen research, education, and engagement across computing — if we build the structures to support it.”

What You’ll Find in the Full Report

The report provides a high-level overview of PIT and outlines:

• The benefits PIT brings to research, teaching, and community partnership
• Major barriers institutions face in adopting and sustaining PIT
• Recommendations for faculty, academic leaders, and national stakeholders
• Examples of PIT practice across multiple universities
• Resources for institutions interested in strengthening or starting PIT initiatives

Designed for researchers, administrators, and educators, the report offers both an introduction to PIT and a roadmap for building supportive academic environments for this work.

“We wrote this report to offer perspectives and practical guidance to the computing community,” said Jim Kurose, report co-author and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “Our goal is to help researchers and academic leaders understand where PIT fits into their work — and how they can take concrete next steps.”

Access the Report

The full report — Public Interest Technology (PIT) Roundtable Discussions: PIT Benefits, Barriers, and Recommendations for the Computing Research Community — is available now on the CRA website.

Read the report and explore the full set of insights and recommendations.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) invites nominations for its Board of Directors. As CRA continues to catalyze computing research by engaging industry, government, and academia, we rely on leaders who bring time, expertise, and vision to strengthen our community and advance our mission.

Serving on the CRA Board is one of the most direct and meaningful ways to contribute to the future of computing research. Board members help guide CRA’s strategic direction, represent the interests of the computing research community, and shape programs and initiatives that support researchers, students, and academic units across North America.

Members of the computing research community who are interested in serving on the CRA Board — either through self-nomination or by nominating someone else — should complete the nomination form by December 12, 2025. Nominees do not need to be affiliated with a CRA member unit.

What Board Members Do

CRA Board members play an essential role in leading the community and advancing CRA’s mission. Board activities include:

• Working with the community to envision the future of computing research.
• Helping plan major CRA events, including the CRA Summit, CRA Career Mentoring Workshop, CRA New Chairs Workshop, CRA Leadership Academy, and more.
• Developing white papers, best-practice documents, and resources that support researchers and academic leaders.
• Thinking strategically about computing education and its impact on the research enterprise.
• Engaging policymakers by testifying before Congress, meeting with federal agencies, and providing expert input on national priorities in computing.
• Supporting CRA’s data and evaluation efforts, including the annual CRA Taulbee Survey.
• Advancing CRA’s strategic priorities through committees on communications, elections, awards, finance, and more.

This is a working Board. Many committees and initiatives require year-round attention, regular virtual meetings, strategic document development, and travel.

Board members serve staggered three-year terms. The Board meets twice each year, with travel and lodging costs typically supported by the individual Board member unless an exceptional circumstance exists. Members may serve up to three terms in a 15-year period, and those seeking re-election may appear on the draft ballot based on a strong record of proactive service.

Election Process

The Elections Committee will review all nominations and develop a draft ballot that aims for a balanced slate of candidates, considering:

• Representation across organization types, sectors, and sizes
• Evidence of leadership and initiative
• Demonstrated capacity for sustained service to the computing research community
• Professional accomplishments and experience aligned with CRA’s work

After the draft ballot is announced, additional candidates may be added through a petition process requiring signatures from the chairs or leaders of at least ten CRA member units that are current in their dues. Voting by CRA members will begin in January 2026, with results announced by the end of February.

More information about CRA and its activities can be found on the About CRA page.

Nomination submissions are due December 12, 2025. Questions may be directed to elections@cra.org.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) recently hosted a free informational webinar to help undergraduate and graduate students in computing learn about the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) — one of the most prestigious fellowships in STEM.

The session featured Erik Russell and Jeff Forbes of CRA, along with Susanne Hambrusch of Purdue University, who shared practical guidance for applicants in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) fields of study.

 This recording is especially helpful for:

• Senior undergraduate students considering research-based graduate programs
• First-year graduate students preparing a CISE GRFP submission
• Faculty and mentors supporting student applications

We encourage you to share the recording with anyone who may benefit.

Webinar Topics

Speakers covered:

• Eligibility considerations for computing fields
• Best practices for structuring Personal Statements and Research Plans
• How to demonstrate intellectual merit and broader impacts
• Common pitfalls reviewers see in computing applications
• Key deadlines and trusted resources

The session also included an extended Q&A based on attendee questions.

Key Takeaways from the Q&A

For the complete list of attendee questions and answers, see the NSF GRFP Webinar – Q&A Report.

Who is eligible?
Applicants must be U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents pursuing (or planning to pursue) a full-time research-based master’s or doctoral degree program. Applicants may only apply once while enrolled in their first graduate degree program.

Are other fellowships allowed alongside/in combination with the GRFP?
Additional, non-federal, fellowships are permitted with institution approval. However, GRFP support may not be combined with another federal graduate fellowship.

Is the GRE required?
No — GRE scores are not used in GRFP review.

What experiences can be included?
List relevant experiences since starting undergraduate study — including research experiences, hackathons, internships, and technical competitions.

If I don’t have a graduate advisor yet, what do I list?
For Level 2 (first-year graduate student applicants and students enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program with at least three undergraduate years completed), you may list your graduate program director.

Do applicants receive feedback?
Yes. Every applicant receives reviewer comments, including those not selected or named honorable mention.

How does funding work?
GRFP provides three years of support over a five-year period to the graduate degree-granting institution:

• $37,000 annual stipend (12-month) per fellowship year
• $16,000 cost-of-education allowance to cover all tuition and mandatory fees per fellowship year. 

Disbursement follows the institution’s schedule.

Note: Please refer to the NSF GRFP website for the only official answers.

Important Deadlines

• All reference letters must be submitted by Friday, November 7, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. ET.
• Applications in the CISE field must be received by Tuesday, November 12, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. local time of applicant’s mailing address.

Resources for Applicants

Webinar Attendee Questions and Answers

• NSF GRFP Webinar – Q&A Report

Main webpage

• NSF GRFP Official Website

Application Templates & Formatting Guidance

• Templates overview page
• Graduate Research Plan template (.dotx)
• Personal Statement template (.dotx)
• Statement formatting guidance
• Submission/file-type help

Solicitation & Revision Notes

• Current solicitation (NSF 25-547) 

Stay Connected with CRA

CRA is committed to supporting the next generation of computing researchers. To ensure you receive opportunities aligned with your interests and career stage, we invite you to update your contact preferences.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is pleased to announce that William D. (Bill) Gropp has been named Chair of CRA’s Computing Community Consortium (CCC), pending approval from the National Science Foundation (NSF) once the ongoing government shutdown concludes. Gropp is expected to serve as CCC Chair through June 30, 2028. 

Gropp has long been an influential leader in high-performance computing (HPC) and in shaping national research directions in computing. He joined the CCC Council in 2020 and the CCC Executive Committee in 2021, has served on the CRA Board of Directors since 2023 as one of the IEEE Computer Society’s representatives, and is currently Vice Chair of CRA’s Government Affairs Committee. He was the 2022 President of the IEEE Computer Society and continued to serve on its Executive Committee in 2023.

“Bill’s leadership and vision have made a profound impact on both the computing research community and the national research landscape,” said Tracy Camp, Executive Director and CEO of CRA. “His deep technical expertise and collaborative approach will help ensure that CCC continues to play its vital role in advancing visionary, high-impact computing research.”

We thank former CCC Chair Nadya Bliss (Arizona State University) for her many years of contributions to CCC (2017-2025).

A Leader in High-Performance Computing

Bill Gropp is completing an eight year term as Director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he also holds the Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering.

Under his leadership, NCSA has strengthened its national role in advanced computing, notably through initiatives such as Delta and DeltaAI, NSF-funded supercomputing resources designed to accelerate discovery and innovation in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Gropp’s research interests span high-performance computing, scalable numerical algorithms, and programming models for scientific computing. He is well known for his pioneering work in developing PETSc, a widely used library for solving scientific computation problems, and MPI, the Message Passing Interface standard — the dominant programming model for parallel computing worldwide.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by the transformative power of computing to tackle society’s hardest challenges,” said Gropp. “I look forward to working with colleagues across CCC and CRA to build on that tradition — enabling computing research that is bold, collaborative, and deeply relevant to national and global priorities.”

Gropp is a Fellow of AAAS, ACM, IEEE, and SIAM, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. In 2024, he was named one of HPCwire’s “35 HPC Legends” and received the ACM Software System Award for his contributions to the MPICH implementation of MPI.

Leadership and Vision within CCC

Within CCC, Gropp has played a pivotal role in advancing the computing research community’s engagement with national priorities. As a member of the CCC Executive Committee since 2021, he has guided the Consortium’s strategic direction and strengthened its nominations process. He has also served as a co-author on nine CCC and CRA responses to federal Requests for Information (RFIs) and co-led the development of the Setting a Course for Post-Moore Software Performance, a 2024-25 CRA Quadrennial Paper. Together, these and other efforts reflect Gropp’s enduring commitment to fostering collaboration among academia, government, and industry to ensure the continued leadership of U.S. computing research.

About the Computing Community Consortium (CCC)

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC), a programmatic committee of CRA supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), enables the pursuit of innovative, high-impact computing research that aligns with pressing national and global challenges.

CCC is:

• A responsive, respected, and visionary organization that promotes the development of innovative computing research.
• A powerful convener that brings together thought leaders from industry, academia, and government to articulate and advance compelling research visions.
• An effective communicator with policymakers, the public, and the broad computing research community about the substance and importance of those visions.

Stay connected with CCC for the latest insights, publications, and opportunities to engage by subscribing here.

The Computing Research Association (CRA), with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), is pleased to announce the launch of the NAIRR AI Education Fellowship at CRA. Applications are now live and will remain open through November 1, 2025.

The fellowship will bring together a national cohort of 10 faculty champions to advance undergraduate and master’s AI education. Fellows will pilot and adapt resources from the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot, help prepare faculty to integrate these resources into AI courses, and foster a sustainable community of practice around best practices for AI education.

Selected fellows will serve a one-year term from December 1, 2025 – November 30, 2026 with NAIRR Pilot Classroom Expansion AI EDU Research Collaboration Network (NAIRR AIEDU RCN), receive a $5,000 stipend, and have travel, lodging, and meals covered for travel associated with the fellowship

Selected Fellows will take on visible leadership roles to:

• Spearhead the organization and leadership of at least two monthly seminars per term, shaping the national conversation on AI education.
• Engage in monthly strategy and working meetings with a select cohort of peers to guide the future of the CRA AI EDU RCN.
• Play a key role by supporting NAIRR Conference Roundtables and actively participating in at least one NAIRR Pilot Expansion Conference, positioning yourself at the forefront of AI research and education.
• Champion the adoption of NAIRR resources on your home campus and within the broader academic community. You will have the opportunity and support to adapt and pilot these cutting-edge resources in your own classrooms and department.
• Participate in NAIRR workshops and collaboration opportunities designed to enhance your expertise.

“Through this fellowship, we are empowering leaders in AI education to experiment, collaborate, and chart new paths for preparing students,” said Tracy Camp, NAIRR Pilot Classroom Expansion Coordination Hub leader and Executive Director and CEO of CRA. “We are excited to see how these fellows will help integrate NAIRR Pilot resources into classrooms and build a thriving national community of practice.”

About the NAIRR Pilot Classroom Expansion AI EDU RCN

The NAIRR Pilot Classroom Expansion AI EDU Research Collaboration Network (RCN) is a national initiative dedicated to building a sustainable community of practice for advancing AI education for all. By bringing together faculty across a broad range of higher education institutions — including research-emerging institutions, four-year colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, and community colleges — the RCN fosters collaboration, resource sharing, and the development of best practices for integrating AI education with the support of NAIRR Pilot resources.

CRA leads this initiative in coordination with partners such as LEVEL UP AI, the NAIRR Pilot Classroom Expansion Conferences, organizations including AAAI, ACM, CAHSI and IEEE-CS, and higher education leaders nationwide. The RCN will host regular convenings, package and share educational resources, and cultivate an active network of faculty committed to increasing capacity in AI education. The new fellowship program will play a central role in advancing this mission.

Eligibility and Application Details

Eligible applicants include faculty, visiting researchers, or educators (including postdoctoral scholars) at U.S. institutions of higher education with demonstrated experience in AI education, research, or curriculum development at the undergraduate or master’s level. Preferred qualifications include experience leading initiatives, mentoring peers, serving on AI-related committees, or integrating AI concepts into coursework.

Applicants must submit:

• A Strategic Proposal outlining their plan to serve as an ambassador for the NAIRR AI Education RCN and champion the adoption of NAIRR resources in AI education.
• A current CV.
• A statement of teaching scholarship.

Applications are open now and close on November 1, 2025.

[Application Portal]

Questions may be directed to Yash Tadimalla at nairr_rcn@cra.org. 

Help spread the word: CRA encourages community members to share this opportunity with colleagues and faculty who may be a strong fit for the NAIRR AI Education RCN Fellowship at CRA.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) has released a major new report, Developing Strategies to Increase Capacity in AI Education: Results of the LEVEL UP AI Roundtable Discussions, capturing insights from the first phase of the NSF LEVEL UP AI project.

A Community-Wide Effort

Supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by CRA in partnership with ACM, IEEE-CS, and AAAI, LEVEL UP AI is convening voices from across higher education, industry, and non-profits to identify strategies for increasing capacity in AI education nationwide. As part of this first phase, CRA brought together 202 participants through 32 moderated roundtables, representing a broad spectrum of institutional contexts and perspectives.

The report synthesizes findings from these discussions, which focused on four central themes:

• AI Knowledge Areas and Pedagogy
• Infrastructure Challenges in AI Education
• Strategies to Increase Capacity in AI Education
• AI Education for All

Together, the findings highlight urgent needs such as addressing the shortage of faculty with AI expertise, expanding the availability of computational resources, embedding ethics throughout AI curricula, and creating pathways for students from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds.

“AI is changing every corner of our workforce and society, and higher education must adapt,” said Tracy Camp, CRA Executive Director and CEO. “With NSF’s support, CRA convened hundreds of experts and ascertained several strategies that can help guide institutions toward effective and sustainable AI education. This report is a critical step in shaping the next generation of computing talent.”

Actionable Recommendations

The report outlines practical steps institutions can take immediately to expand AI education, including:

• Curricular innovation, such as developing integrated “Mathematics for AI” courses and AI literacy pathways that reach both computing and non-computing majors.
• Hands-on learning opportunities, from capstone projects to AI clubs and makerspaces that give students experiential practice.
• Faculty development, including faculty learning communities to share pedagogical strategies and resources across institutions.
• Access to infrastructure, through creative models for sharing datasets, leveraging cloud computing (e.g., through NAIRR), sharing curricula, and strengthening institutional IT support.

“Capacity in AI education is not just about scaling up courses — it’s about creating accessible opportunities for all students to engage meaningfully with AI,” said Enrico Pontelli, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at New Mexico State University and co-author of the report. “The LEVEL UP AI conversations emphasized the importance of collaboration across institution types and sectors. No one institution can do this work alone.”

What’s Next

The report provides a foundation for the next phase of LEVEL UP AI, two-day in-person workshops in Atlanta and Phoenix, as well as other NSF supported AI education focused efforts such as the NAIRR Pilot Classroom Expansion Conferences and the NAIRR Pilot Classroom Expansion Research Collaboration Network (RCN). These efforts will further convene experts, refine national strategies, and move toward a shared set of best practices for AI education.

Additional Resources

In addition to the full report, CRA has also published supporting materials to make the findings more accessible:

• Developing Strategies to Increase Capacity and Access in AI Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Strategies – A summary of findings across four focus areas, highlighting opportunities, challenges, and emerging strategies. Originally presented at the 2025 CRA Summit in San Francisco.
• LEVEL UP AI Resources – A living document of AI education resources compiled from roundtable participants, including links to curricula, tools, and teaching materials. You will be prompted to make a copy of the resource table, which allows for sorting based on resource and topic.
• Contributors List – An acknowledgment of the full list of 202 experts who shared their insights, perspectives, and experiences during the roundtables.

These resources are available on the LEVEL UP AI Reports page. Together, these resources provide a practical toolkit for institutions and educators working to expand AI education capacity.

Read the Full Report 

The Computing Research Association (CRA) has released a new best practices document, Unique Considerations for Evaluating Computing Researchers, providing updated guidance on how contributions in computing research should be assessed in hiring, promotion, and tenure decisions. This update builds upon CRA’s original 1999 memo, Evaluating Computer Scientists and Engineers for Promotion and Tenure, and reflects the evolving nature of computing research, including the increasing role of interdisciplinary collaborations, open-source software, and new research dissemination models.

“For computing research to continue driving innovation and solving pressing societal challenges, we must ensure that faculty evaluations fully recognize the breadth of contributions made by computing researchers,” said Nancy Amato, Director of the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and CRA Past Board Chair. 

“This updated guidance provides a much-needed framework for institutions to fairly assess research impact across different subfields, methodologies, and modes of contribution.”

The document highlights key distinctions in computing research evaluation, such as the prominence of rigorously peer-reviewed conference publications, the role of artifacts like software and datasets, and variations in authorship norms, publication rates, and research group structures across computing subfields. It also underscores the importance of recognizing computing researchers as equal partners in interdisciplinary collaborations and the critical interplay between academia, industry, and government labs in advancing the field.

“As the computing research landscape evolves, evaluation practices must keep pace,” said Gillian Hayes, Vice Provost for Academic Personnel at the University of California, Irvine. 

“The updated best practices acknowledge the many ways computing researchers contribute to knowledge, technology, and society, ensuring that faculty evaluations reflect the true impact of their work.”

The full best practices document is available on the CRA Best Practices webpage, and CRA encourages institutions to incorporate these guidelines into their faculty evaluation processes.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is pleased to welcome to its team three CRA AI Education Fellows: Noah Cowit, DJ Jones, and Yash Tadimalla. These three early career scholars will spend the next year contributing to national initiatives that aim to expand capacity in artificial intelligence (AI) education and advance frameworks for trustworthy AI development.

This fellowship is made possible through the Computing Innovation Fellows (CIFellows) Program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which supports recent PhD recipients with postdoctoral opportunities to strengthen their research and teaching. While most CIFellows are placed at academic institutions, CRA is hosting these AI Education Fellows to advance cross-cutting, community-serving initiatives with national impact. This unique placement gives emerging scholars the chance to contribute to efforts shaping the future of AI education at a pivotal moment in its evolution.

As CRA AI Education Fellows, these researchers are contributing to the following NSF-funded projects: 

• NSF LEVEL UP AI, which is identifying core AI knowledge areas and enabling infrastructure to support undergraduate AI education. 
• National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot Expansion Conferences, which convene stakeholders to shape national infrastructure and policy for equitable and responsible AI.
• NAIRR Pilot Expansion AI EDU Research Collaboration Network (RCN), which connects the people and organizations leading in expanding and developing AI curriculum, course materials, and training programs for the use of the NAIRR Pilot.

Meet the CRA AI Education Fellows

Noah Cowit

Noah recently completed his PhD in Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, where his research focused on AI pedagogy, curriculum design, and student engagement. He applies ethnographic, quantitative, and design methods to improve how AI is taught and learned. 

At CRA, Noah is contributing to national efforts to define AI learning goals and scalable models for undergraduate education and serves as the lead Fellow for the NSF LEVEL UP AI project. In July 2026, he will begin a tenure-track Lecturer role (equivalent to Assistant Professor) at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

DJ (Stephanie T.) Jones

DJ earned her PhD in Computer Science and Learning Sciences from Northwestern University. Their interdisciplinary research focuses on the ethical design and use of technology in education, particularly how research infrastructures can either reinforce or challenge structural inequities. DJ is interested in connecting with junior and senior leaders in the field who are passionate about these topics.

At CRA, DJ is contributing to initiatives that integrate equity and trustworthiness into AI education and policy, and serves as the lead Fellow for the NAIRR Pilot Expansion Conference projects.  DJ also brings experience from work in the nonprofit, education, and engineering sectors.

Yash Tadimalla

Yash recently completed his PhD in Computer Science and Sociology at UNC Charlotte. His research examines how human identity influences access to and perceptions of AI technologies, as well as student engagement and learning in computing and AI education. A passionate advocate for global STEM equity, Yash holds leadership roles with the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth and the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies. 

At CRA, he is supporting research and outreach across multiple NSF-funded initiatives and serves as the lead Fellow for the NAIRR Pilot Expansion AI EDU RCN. Yash contributes insights from his work at UNC Charlotte’s Center for Humane AI studies, Center for Education Innovation Research, and Human-Centered Computing Research group.

Advancing National Impact

The CRA AI Education Fellows program reflects CRA’s commitment to fostering a computing research community that is innovative and responsive to national needs. We are excited to support these outstanding scholars as they help shape the future of AI education.

The Computing Research Association (CRA), in partnership with program sponsor Microsoft, is proud to introduce the inaugural cohort of recipients of the CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship for Early Career Scholars. This new fellowship supports computing researchers with interdisciplinary training in the social sciences who are working to integrate ethical, societal, and human-centered considerations into the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

“We were thrilled by the sophistication, creativity, and care reflected in the applications we received,” said Mary L. Gray, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and Chair of the CRA Trustworthy AI Fellowship Advisory Committee. “This inaugural cohort brings a remarkable range of expertise, insight, and passion to the challenges of building more trustworthy AI. I can’t wait to get started and see what they accomplish together.”

Over the next 15 months, Fellows will engage in interdisciplinary training and collaboration, contribute to the development of a national Trustworthy AI lexicon and framework, and help lead initiatives at CRA partner institutions. The CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship for Early Career Scholars begins with a virtual kickoff in July 2025, followed by a four-day, in-person field school in August. Quarterly virtual convenings and collaborative opportunities will continue throughout the year.

Meet the 2025-2026 CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellows

Taslima Akter

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Texas San Antonio

Taslima Akter’s research explores accessibility and privacy for blind and low-vision individuals engaging with AI systems. Drawing on interdisciplinary training in accessibility studies and deep community partnerships, she focuses on inclusive, equity-centered design. Through the fellowship, she aims to co-develop AI frameworks that foreground lived experience and prioritize accessibility from the ground up.

Diana Freed

Assistant Professor of Computer and Data Science, Brown University; Visiting Scholar, Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center; Faculty Associate, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society

Diana Freed conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of HCI and computer security and privacy, drawing on theoretical and methodological frameworks from psychology, law, and public policy. Her research focuses on ensuring accountability, equity, and harm reduction in emerging technologies. She will use the fellowship to expand her research on algorithmic fairness and deepen her engagement with responsible AI governance.

Vinitha Gadiraju

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Wellesley College

Vinitha Gadiraju investigates how disabled people perceive, interact, and form relationships with generative AI tools, particularly focusing on trust and harm mitigation. Her interdisciplinary training in human-computer interaction and education informs a community-based approach to computing research. Through the fellowship, she will explore trust dynamics with AI in high-stakes contexts and advocate for disability-inclusive design in AI systems.

Dhruv “DJ” Jain

Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan

DJ Jain’s research spans human-computer interaction, accessible computing, and Deaf/disability studies. He employs participatory design and mixed methods to co-create AI systems with marginalized communities. Through the fellowship, he aims to elevate the perspectives of Deaf and disabled people in national conversations around trustworthy AI.

Yasmine Kotturi

Assistant Professor of Human-Centered Computing, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Yasmine Kotturi designs and builds sociotechnical systems that support worker resilience, especially among those navigating precarious employment and entrepreneurship. Her work combines human-computer interaction with insights from labor studies and feminist theory to develop relational, community-driven approaches—such as community-based software engineering—that shift power in how AI systems are built and used. Kotturi joined the fellowship to transform computing pedagogy and equip future technologists to navigate the ethical and societal stakes of AI development.

Calvin Liang

Postdoctoral Fellow in Communication Studies, Northwestern University

Calvin Liang explores how AI mediates intimacy and advances health equity.. Holding a PhD in Human Centered Design and Engineering, and with additional training in communication, sociology, and STS, he brings a rich interdisciplinary lens to human-centered design. Through the fellowship, he hopes to responsibly advance AI systems that support digital intimacy and equitable health access.

Lindsay Sanneman

Assistant Professor, School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, Arizona State University

Lindsay Sanneman researches Transparent Value Alignment, focusing on how AI systems can be designed to align with human values through explainability and mutual understanding. Her interdisciplinary background includes cognitive psychology and human factors. Through the fellowship, she seeks to expand the integration of social science perspectives into AI alignment and transparency research.

Jayshree Sarathy

Senior Research Fellow and Incoming Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Northeastern University

Jayshree Sarathy studies the role of AI in public-sector infrastructures through the integration of Science and Technology Studies (STS) and computing. Her research bridges computational and societal insights to foster more responsible AI implementation. She joined the fellowship to help build frameworks for trustworthy AI grounded in both technical and contextual understanding.

Lucretia Williams

Research Scientist, Institute of Human-Centered AI, Howard University

Lucretia Williams leads research at the intersection of AI ethics, health, and education. With a background in psychology and a PhD in Informatics, she uses community-based design and qualitative methods to center equity in AI development. She views the fellowship as an opportunity to expand her interdisciplinary training and strengthen her work on inclusive, ethical AI systems.

Read full Fellow bios here.

About the Fellowship

The CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship for Early Career Scholars empowers early-career researchers to lead interdisciplinary approaches to AI that are both technically sound and socially responsible. CRA and Microsoft are honored to support this exceptional cohort as they help shape the future of AI research and practice.

This inaugural cohort marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to advance trustworthy AI. Applications for the second cohort will open in early 2026.

For more information about the fellowship, visit cra.org/cra-trustworthy-ai-research-fellowship.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is guided by a distinguished Board of Directors whose leadership plays a vital role in advancing CRA’s mission: to catalyze computing research by engaging industry, government, and academia. Through their service, Board members help CRA lead the computing research community, inform policymakers and the public, and promote the development of an innovative and responsible computing research workforce.

Earlier this year, CRA held its annual Board of Directors election, drawing a record number of votes from CRA’s member units. The full announcement of the election results, including detailed bios of new and returning members, is available here.

As we begin the new fiscal year, CRA is proud to welcome a new cohort of Board members, representatives, and officers who will carry forward the organization’s mission and strategic priorities.

You can view the full list of CRA Board Members at cra.org/about/board/members.

Newly Elected Board Members

The following individuals were elected to three-year terms on the CRA Board of Directors, running from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028:

Carla Brodley
Dean of Inclusive Computing and Founding Executive Director, Center for Inclusive Computing, Northeastern University

A nationally recognized leader in machine learning and broadening participation, Brodley returns to the CRA Board with extensive prior experience, including service as Co-Chair of CRA-WP and as an organizer of CRA’s inaugural Leadership Academy.

Mona Diab
Professor and Director, Language Technologies Institute, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University

Diab is a leading voice in natural language processing, multilingual computing, and responsible AI. She brings deep expertise from academia and industry, as well as experience advising national and global AI policy initiatives.

Mark Hill
Former Partner Hardware Architect, Microsoft; Professor Emeritus of Computer Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison

A widely respected expert in computer architecture, Hill returns to the Board after previously serving as Chair of CRA’s Computing Community Consortium (CCC). He remains a strong advocate for industry-academic collaboration.

Reelected Board Members

The following Board members were reelected to serve an additional three-year term:

Maria Gini
Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota

A longtime leader in robotics and AI, Gini has been instrumental in CRA-WP’s Grad Cohort and DREU programs and co-leads mentoring for the NSF CSGrad4US Fellowships.

Divesh Srivastava
Director of Inventive Science, AT&T

A distinguished researcher in data management, Srivastava serves as Co-Chair of the CRA-Industry Steering Committee and has played a key role in organizing CRA’s conferences and industry engagement.

Ben Zorn
Partner Researcher, Microsoft Research

Known for his work in programming languages and systems, Zorn co-founded the CRA-Industry Committee and has led initiatives to connect academic research with industry needs.

New Programmatic Committee Representative

Soha Hassoun
Professor and Past Chair, Department of Computer Science, Tufts University

Hassoun joins the CRA Board of Directors as the representative of the Widening Participation Committee (CRA-WP), where she has served as Co-Chair since 2024. She holds secondary appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering and in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Tufts. Her interdisciplinary research spans bio design automation, machine learning, and electronic design automation, and she has held numerous leadership roles across academia and industry.

New Board Officers

CRA’s newly elected Board Officers begin their terms today, July 1, 2025:

James Allan, Chair
Professor and Associate Dean of Research and Engagement, Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Allan is a leader in information retrieval and has served on the CRA Board since 2018, including as Treasurer and member of the Executive Committee. He was elected to the ACM SIGIR Academy in 2021.

Mary Hall, Vice Chair
Professor of Computer Science, University of Utah

Hall is an expert in optimizing compilers and high-performance computing. She has contributed extensively to CRA through roles with CRA-WP, CRA-Industry, and the Career Mentoring Workshop.

Ran Libeskind-Hadas, Secretary
Founding Chair, Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences, Claremont McKenna College

Libeskind-Hadas is a long-time leader in computing education and former Co-Chair of CRA-E. He previously served as CRA Board Secretary (2019–2023) and Vice Chair (2023–2025).

Ming Lin, Treasurer
Dr. Barry Mersky and Capital One Endowed Professor and Distinguished University Professor, Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland

Lin is a leading researcher in virtual reality, robotics, and physically based modeling. She has served on the CRA Board since 2023 and has been deeply involved in CRA-WP’s mentoring and leadership initiatives.

Nancy M. Amato (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) has concluded her term as Chair of the Board but will continue to serve on the CRA Board of Directors and on the Executive Committee as Past Board Chair, in accordance with CRA’s updated bylaws. 

In addition, CRA Board Members Kinnis Gosha (Morehouse College), Carla Brodley (Northeastern University), and Divesh Srivastava (AT&T) will join the Executive Committee as Appointed Members. 

Departing Board Members

CRA extends its sincere thanks to the following members whose terms concluded on June 30, 2025:

• Lorrie Cranor (Carnegie Mellon University)
• Gillian Hayes (University of California, Irvine)
• Susan Rodger (Duke University)
• Jaime Teevan (Microsoft)

Stay Informed

The CRA Board of Directors will next convene July 31-August 1 in San Francisco, CA, following the 2025 CRA Summit.

For updates on CRA Board activities, including programmatic committee updates, meeting summaries, and future opportunities to engage, follow the CRA Bulletin and Computing Research News.

Zegura’s message offers clarity and encouragement for junior faculty who may be weighing whether to submit proposals in the current funding environment. The bottom line, she writes: “If you have a compelling idea that is ready and the time to put together a strong proposal, you should move forward.”

Read the full message below:

Researchers, policymakers, and Hill staff gathered in Washington to explore innovations powered by long-term federal investment.

On May 14, 2025, the Computing Research Association (CRA) hosted the Computing Futures Showcase in the historic Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building. The event brought together leading researchers, industry experts, and Hill staff for an interactive reception demonstrating how federally supported computing research drives innovation, strengthens national security, and delivers economic and societal benefits across the country.

Organized with support from honorary co-hosts Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), the event featured remarks, research exhibits, and one-on-one conversations designed to highlight the critical role of federal investment in computing research.

A Strong Message to Policymakers: Federal Support Is Foundational

Opening remarks from CRA Board Member and Chair of the Computing Futures Symposium Organizing Committee, Katie Siek (Indiana University Bloomington), framed the evening around a central theme: fundamental computing research, supported by federal investment, is indispensable to national progress.

“By consistently investing in computing research, the United States has become the global leader in computing and IT fields,” Siek said. “This investment translates directly into job creation, global market dominance, and increased overall economic productivity fueled by technological advancements.”

Siek emphasized that many of the technologies discussed at the event — from AI and robotics to quantum computing — are direct outcomes of long-term federal research support and represent innovation happening across the country. She also thanked the staff of Senator Young for their help organizing the event and for their ongoing leadership on research policy.

Bridging Academia, Industry, and Government

Nadya Bliss (Arizona State University), CRA Board Member and Chair of CRA’s Computing Community Consortium (CCC), emphasized the importance of collaboration across academia, industry, and government in sustaining the nation’s research leadership.

“The future of computing depends on a vibrant research ecosystem—one that connects academia, industry, and government through shared goals and sustained federal support,” Bliss said.

She pointed to the diversity of presenters in the room — from university labs to federal agencies and corporate research groups — as a powerful example of how the U.S. innovation pipeline thrives through these connections.

Bliss also highlighted the recently released CRA Quadrennial Papers, a series of community-driven whitepapers outlining strategic research directions across computing. Topics range from cybersecurity and AI in education to post-quantum cryptography and next-generation software systems. 

“These papers represent some of the next big challenges our community is ready to tackle,” she said. “But we can’t do it without the continued partnership and investment of the federal government.”

CRA also welcomed Lisa Amini, Director of IBM Research – Cambridge, who spoke on behalf of industry and reinforced the essential role of federal support for foundational computing research. Amini thanked policymakers for their investments and highlighted how long-term research funding fuels public-private partnerships that drive innovation across sectors. Her remarks underscored industry’s strong alignment with the academic research community in advancing shared scientific and societal goals.

A Showcase of Innovation from Across the Country

The heart of the evening was the exhibit hall, where attendees interacted directly with researchers demonstrating innovative work at the intersection of computing and society. Exhibitors included academic institutions, national laboratories, and industry leaders, collectively showcasing the broad national footprint and diversity of computing research in the U.S.

Exhibitor Highlights:

• Indiana University Bloomington demonstrated how baby animals and AI learn to see using shared environments and digital twins, offering insight into both natural and machine vision systems.
• Sandia National Laboratories highlighted brain-inspired neuromorphic computing, including a neuromorphic camera and advanced chips that could impact supercomputing, brain health, and edge computing.
• University of New Mexico presented biodegradable 3D printing materials made from waste products such as orange peels and sawdust, along with custom software for printing new material types.
• Microsoft showcased AI for science discovery and the Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum processor based on topological qubits.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrated CropWizard, a generative AI tool that supports agricultural decision-making using multimodal data and LLM-powered systems.
• University of Maryland, College Park gave a live demo of Spot, a robot used for triage in mass casualty incidents, part of the team’s work on the DARPA Triage Challenge.
• University of Massachusetts Lowell & the Naval Research Laboratory showed how robots like Spot can be used for shipboard maintenance by locating and fetching tools in real time.

Engaging Policymakers and Elevating Community Voices

The Computing Futures Showcase drew a strong turnout of Hill staffers, with many stopping by exhibits to ask questions and learn more about the work being presented. Congressional attendees expressed appreciation for the clarity and relevance of the work on display — and for the opportunity to connect policy with real-world innovations.

A Shared Commitment to the Future of Innovation

Exhibitors emphasized how the showcase created meaningful opportunities to connect with policymakers and spotlight the value of sustained federal investment in research. As Vikram S. Adve, Director of the AIFARMS National AI Institute and Cofounder and Science Co-Director of the Center for Digital Agriculture, reflected:

“Events like this one are essential to communicate the indispensable role federal research funding has played in enabling health, education, a resilient food system, scientific progress, and widespread prosperity in the United States.”

Samantha Wood, Assistant Professor of Informatics at Indiana University Bloomington, added:

“I hope our demo showed how AI can be a powerful tool for advancing scientific understanding — in our case, helping to uncover how learning works in the brain by modeling it computationally. Events like this are valuable because they bring together diverse areas of computing research, creating opportunities for cross-disciplinary insights and collaboration.”

Fiona Bell, Postdoctoral Researcher in Computer Science at the University of New Mexico, emphasized the interdisciplinary potential on display:

“Through our demo of new sustainable 3D printing materials, we aimed to highlight the exciting interdisciplinary possibilities that emerge when computing intersects with materials science, manufacturing, and design. Events like the Computing Futures Showcase are invaluable for building connections between researchers across disciplines and demonstrating to policymakers how computing research extends far beyond traditional boundaries, with attendees particularly interested in how our materials could be applied to solve real-world challenges.”

Zachary Laborde, PhD student in Cognitive Science and Neuroscience at Indiana University Bloomington, highlighted the broader societal impact:

“This demonstration shows the crucial importance of research into embodied, agentic AI. This field is paramount for America’s future, as it drives innovation in critical sectors like advanced manufacturing, supply chain resilience, and national security, ultimately bolstering our economic competitiveness and technological leadership on the global stage.”

The Computing Futures Showcase demonstrated not only the breadth of computing research in the U.S., but also its deep relevance to national priorities — from economic competitiveness to public health and environmental resilience. As the federal government weighs research funding decisions in the months ahead, CRA will continue to advocate for the essential role computing plays in securing the nation’s future.

To explore where computing research leaders see the field heading next, the CRA Quadrennial Papers offer community-driven insights and recommendations on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CRA.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) joins the computing research community in recognizing and thanking Greg Hager, who will step down this week as Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE).

Hager concludes his service after a year leading CISE during a period of both opportunity and challenge for the computing research ecosystem. The past few months in particular have brought significant changes at NSF, including staffing dismissals, award terminations, and proposed budget cuts that threaten to devastate the American research ecosystem — a foundation of the nation’s prosperity, security, and quality of life for more than 75 years.

Hager assumed the role of CISE Assistant Director in June 2024 following a nationwide search. A longtime contributor to CRA, he served on the CRA Board of Directors from 2014 to 2018 and was Chair of CRA’s Computing Community Consortium (CCC) from 2014 to 2016. Prior to joining NSF, he was a Professor of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, where he built a distinguished career in vision-based robotics, artificial intelligence, and healthcare applications, as well as leadership connecting computing research to broader societal impacts.

During his tenure at NSF, Hager championed the computing research community’s role in driving innovation, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and addressing national challenges.

“Greg’s commitment to the community and to the future of computing research has been steadfast,” said Nancy M. Amato, Chair of CRA’s Board of Directors. “We are grateful for his leadership at NSF and are looking forward to continuing to work with him as an active member of the community.”

CISE Leadership Transition 

Ellen Zegura, currently Division Director for Computer and Network Systems within CISE, will serve as Acting Assistant Director. Zegura brings deep ties to CRA and the broader community, having served on the CRA Board of Directors from 2011 to 2021, including as Chair from 2019 to 2021. Her leadership, scholarship, and longstanding service to the field make her well positioned to guide CISE through this transition.

“We are grateful to Greg for his leadership over the past year and are confident that Ellen’s experience and dedication will serve the community well as she takes on this important role,” said Tracy Camp, CRA Executive Director and CEO. “Her leadership and deep understanding of the computing research ecosystem will be critical in the months ahead.”

As the CISE Directorate prepares for this leadership transition, CRA remains committed to collaborating closely with NSF leadership, community partners, and researchers to advance the shared mission of ensuring a vibrant and impactful future for computing research.

By Matt Hazenbush, Director of Communications

As federal research priorities evolve and artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes the world, the computing research community faces a defining moment. In response to member feedback calling for more frequent opportunities for in-person engagement, CRA’s flagship gathering — the CRA Conference at Snowbird — is transitioning into an annual convening: the CRA Summit.

Launching July 28-31, 2025, in San Francisco, the 2025 CRA Summit is designed specifically for department chairs, heads, deans, research directors, senior executives from industry and government labs, and other computing research leaders from across North America. This series of co-located CRA events will offer unparalleled opportunities to collaborate, strategize, and shape the future of computing research and education in the age of AI.

Join Us for Strategic Conversations, Community, and Collaboration

Space will be limited, and we anticipate strong interest. Please complete our 2025 CRA Summit Interest Form as soon as possible to indicate the events you’d most like to attend, receive updates, and ensure priority consideration for registration.

Note: We expect to have some travel funding available for U.S. based participants who attend at least the July 29 CRA Summit on AI Undergraduate Education.

Event Highlights

Welcome Reception – Monday, July 28

Kick off the week by reconnecting with colleagues, meeting new peers, and previewing the week’s agenda. Participants in the CRA Affinity Group Meetings (details below) will have dedicated networking opportunities.

CRA Summit on AI Undergraduate Education – Tuesday, July 29

Explore strategies and challenges in adapting undergraduate computing education to the AI era, including curricular innovation, industry expectations, ethics integration, and capacity-building.

CRA Summit on AI Graduate Education and Research – Wednesday, July 30

Engage with research and academic leaders to discuss graduate-level education, future-focused research agendas, and AI’s broader implications for the computing research landscape and workforce.

CRA Affinity Group Meetings – Evenings of July 28–29 and Thursday, July 31

Running throughout the week, inaugural CRA Affinity Groups will offer spaces for peer exchange among similar institutions. Evening networking sessions provide informal discussions, while Thursday’s facilitated meetings address institutional challenges and strategic priorities. Anticipated groups include R1 universities, research-emerging institutions (e.g., R2 and other PhD granting), liberal arts colleges, community colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) based on participation.

Interested in leading an affinity group? Leaders will encourage peer attendance, facilitate discussions, and shape Thursday’s agenda. Indicate your desired involvement via the interest form.

CRA New Chairs Workshop – Thursday, July 31

A focused leadership training for new department chairs or heads, covering leadership strategies, institutional relationships, budget management, and peer networking. Read more on the CRA New Chairs Workshop event page. Applications are due May 31.

Future of AI Research in Industry – Thursday, July 31

Hosted by CRA-Industry at Dolby Labs, this event for industry research leaders will explore the evolving AI landscape and value of industry-academia partnerships.

About the CRA Summit

Beginning in 2025, the CRA Summit will convene annually, alternating formats to address timely, single-issue themes in odd years (such as AI’s impact on computing education and research in 2025) and broader, multi-track topics in even years. This annual structure aims to fulfill the community’s need for strategic dialogue and networking.

We look forward to seeing you this July in San Francisco.

The Computing Research Association (CRA), with support from Microsoft, is pleased to announce the launch of the CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship for Early Career Scholars. Inspired by recommendations from the 2022 National Academies report, Fostering Responsible Computing Research, the program provides early-career computing researchers with structured interdisciplinary training, collaborative opportunities, and resources to tackle critical societal questions surrounding artificial intelligence (AI).

Fellowship Goals and Activities

The fellowship supports early-career researchers in infusing ethical and societal considerations into computing research, particularly in the context of AI development. Fellows will actively engage with experts from multiple disciplines, contribute to a national Trustworthy AI lexicon and framework, lead or collaborate on Trustworthy AI initiatives at CRA partner institutions (e.g., CRA member and CAHSI institutions), and help establish a scalable model for interdisciplinary Trustworthy AI training.

The fellowship begins with an introductory virtual meeting in July 2025, followed by a four-day in-person field school in August. Quarterly virtual meetings throughout the fellowship duration will then sustain collaboration and advance research.

“The CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship represents our commitment to fostering responsible innovation by creating a critical connection between computing and the social sciences,” said Tracy Camp, Executive Director and CEO of CRA. “We appreciate the support from Microsoft and are excited to empower early-career researchers to lead this crucial interdisciplinary dialogue and proactively shape the future of AI.”

“Effectively addressing the societal complexities of AI demands collaboration across multiple fields,” said Mary L. Gray, Senior Principal Researcher with Microsoft Research. “This fellowship enables emerging researchers to explore these important intersections and contribute to solutions that build on the National Academies’ recommendations.”

Fellows will receive a stipend of $16,500, funding to support travel, lodging, and meals associated with the field school, virtual meetings throughout the year, as well as professional development opportunities and visibility within the research community.

Applications Due April 30, 2025

Applications for the inaugural 2025-2026 CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellowship are now open and must be submitted by April 30, 2025. The application consists of a brief online form requesting contact and academic information, a CV, a description of your interdisciplinary social science experience and/or training, and a short essay on your interest in becoming a CRA Trustworthy AI Research Fellow.

Qualified applicants should:

• Have completed their PhD within one to three years prior to application.
• Hold a primary PhD degree in a computing-related field (such as computer science, computer engineering, data science, or information systems).
• Possess secondary training or significant research experience in at least one social science discipline, such as anthropology, communication and media studies, studies of vulnerable populations, history, labor studies, political science, science and technology studies (STS), or sociology.
• Hold a faculty or visiting researcher position (e.g., postdoc, fellowship) at an institution of higher education in the United States.

Interested scholars should visit the fellowship webpage for more details. 

Help Spread the Word

We encourage the computing research community to share this fellowship announcement with qualified early-career researchers who may benefit from this opportunity.

For more information or questions about the fellowship, please contact Janine Myszka at jmyszka@cra.org.

In response to recent federal actions that threaten critical research funding, six leading organizations — including the Computing Research Association (CRA) — representing over 305,000 individuals in computing, information technology, and technical innovation have issued a joint statement urging Congress to protect the U.S. research enterprise.

Recent funding freezes, proposed budget cuts, and layoffs at key federal science agencies — including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) — have introduced severe disruption and uncertainty into the research ecosystem. These actions put the United States’ leadership in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and other critical fields at serious risk.

The joint statement calls on Congress to reject major cuts to science and research funding, citing the long-term economic and national security consequences of weakening the nation’s research infrastructure. The signatories emphasize that America’s leadership in emerging technologies is built upon a robust, federally supported research ecosystem—one that has historically delivered substantial returns on investment, fueled new industries, and driven economic growth.

Signatory Organizations:

• Academic Data Science Alliance (ADSA)
• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Coalition for Academic Scientific Computation (CASC)
• Computing Research Association (CRA)
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)
• USENIX – The Advanced Computing Systems Association

As a convening voice for the computing research community, CRA remains committed to advocating for strong federal investments in science and technology. We encourage computing researchers and institutions to engage with policymakers and reinforce the importance of protecting research funding.

For more updates on CRA’s policy efforts, visit the Computing Research Policy Blog.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) Board of Directors plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of the computing research community. Serving on the CRA Board is a prestigious opportunity to lead, guide, and give back to the community, and is also a serious commitment. CRA’s Board is a working board — one that dedicates its time, expertise, and energy to advancing CRA’s mission, driving strategic initiatives, and championing efforts to strengthen the computing research ecosystem.

At this critical moment in CRA’s history, as we navigate a rapidly evolving landscape of technological breakthroughs and shifting federal priorities, the Board’s leadership is more vital than ever. We are appreciative of the dedication and service of these remarkable leaders as they help steer both CRA and the broader computing research community through this period of uncertainty and opportunity.

2025 Board of Directors Election Results 

Against this backdrop, we are grateful for the record-breaking level of engagement demonstrated by our members in the recent Board of Directors election. Voting took place between January 23 and February 14, with primary contacts at CRA’s academic and lab member units eligible to vote in the election — and more votes were received than ever before.

CRA members elected three new individuals to its Board of Directors: Carla Brodley (Northeastern University), Mona Diab (Carnegie Mellon University), and Mark Hill (Formerly Microsoft, and University of Wisconsin-Madison). 

In addition, three current Board Members won reelection: Maria Gini (University of Minnesota), Divesh Srivastava (AT&T), and Ben Zorn (Microsoft Research). 

CRA would like to thank all of the candidates who ran for a seat on the Board of Directors this election cycle. Those named above will serve from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028.

Newly Elected CRA Board Members 

CRA is thrilled to welcome the following three new members to its Board of Directors.

Carla Brodley 

Carla Brodley is the Dean of Inclusive Computing and Founding Executive Director of the Center for Inclusive Computing at Northeastern University. A leading voice in machine learning, CS education, and broadening participation in computing, she has worked extensively to strengthen talent development in the field.

Dr. Brodley is a Fellow of AAAI, ACM, and AAAS, and a recipient of the 2022 ACM Frances E. Allen Award for Outstanding Mentoring. She has held leadership roles on the AAAI Council, the International Machine Learning Society Board, and the NSF CISE Advisory Board. She earned her PhD in computer science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Dr. Brodley has previously served as a CRA Board member, Co-Chair of CRA-WP (formerly CRA-W), and organizer of key leadership and mentoring programs, including co-chair of the inaugural CRA Leadership Academy. Through her service on the Board, she aims to provide a national perspective on challenges in computing education and research, particularly in the context of booming enrollments, faculty retention, and the evolving role of AI in curriculum and research.

Mona Diab 

Mona Diab is a Professor and Director of the Language Technologies Institute in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. A globally recognized leader in natural language processing (NLP), responsible AI, and multilingual computing, she has made significant contributions to computational approaches for code-switching and semantic textual similarity.

Dr. Diab is an ACL Fellow and a recipient of the Arabic Language Technologies King Salman Prize. She was named one of the top 30 AI researchers of Arab descent globally by MIT Tech Review (2022, 2023) and was among 150 AI experts advising the White House on the U.S. National AI Strategy in 2019. She earned her PhD in computational linguistics from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Diab has held leadership positions in academia and industry, including roles with AWS and Meta, and serves on global committees focused on AI ethics and safety. Through her service on the CRA Board, she aims to advance responsible AI education, foster ethical computing practices, and expand access to AI research and resources.

Mark Hill 

Mark Hill is a former Partner Hardware Architect at Microsoft Azure and the Gene M. Amdahl and John P. Morgridge Professor Emeritus of Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A leading expert in computer architecture, he has made significant contributions to parallel computing, memory system design, and computer simulation.

Dr. Hill is a Fellow of ACM, IEEE, and AAAS, and a recipient of the 2019 Eckert-Mauchly Award, the highest honor in computer architecture. He also received the ACM SIGARCH Alan Berenbaum Distinguished Service Award and has served in leadership roles across academia and industry. He earned his PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Hill has been deeply engaged with CRA, including serving as Chair of the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) and CRA Board member (2018-2020). He also played a role in the formation of CRA-Industry. Through his service on the Board, he seeks to strengthen industry-academia collaborations and advance computing research initiatives.

Reelected CRA Board Members 

CRA is pleased to share news of the reelection of the following three members of the Board of Directors.

Maria Gini 

Maria Gini is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. A Fellow of AAAI, IEEE, and ACM, she has received numerous honors, including the IJCAI Donald E. Walker Distinguished Service Award (2024), the CRA A. Nico Habermann Award (2019), and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring). She earned her PhD in physics from the University of Milan.

Dr. Gini has been deeply involved in CRA for many years. She has served on the CRA-WP Board since 2007, co-managing the DREU program until 2017 and leading the Grad Cohort program since 2018. She was also a member of the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) for four years, where she contributed to multiple quadrennial papers, organized panels at the AAAS annual conference, and co-chaired a CCC workshop. Additionally, she has been a co-PI for the NSF CSGrad4US Fellowships since 2021 and continues to serve as a Mentoring Program Associate.

Dr. Gini has served as a CRA Board member since 2022.

Divesh Srivastava

Divesh Srivastava is the Director of Inventive Science at AT&T. A Fellow of ACM and AT&T, Dr. Srivastava has received numerous honors for his contributions to data management, including the ACM SIGMOD Contributions Award (2021), the IEEE Technical Committee on Data Engineering (TCDE) Impact Award (2021), and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Distinguished Alumnus Award (2023). He earned his PhD in computer sciences from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Dr. Srivastava has been an active leader in CRA’s industry engagement efforts. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the CRA-Industry Steering Committee and has been a member of the committee since 2020. He has played a key role in shaping industry-academia collaborations through CRA’s workshops and conferences. In addition, he has contributed to the organization of multiple CRA Conferences at Snowbird, including as Co-Chair of the 2024 event.

Dr. Srivastava has served on the CRA Board since 2019 and recently became one of two ACM representatives on the Board.

Ben Zorn 

Ben Zorn is a Partner Researcher at Microsoft Research. A Fellow of both AAAS and ACM, Dr. Zorn has been recognized for his contributions to programming languages and software reliability, including the ACM SIGPLAN Distinguished Service Award (2021) and multiple Most Influential Paper Awards from PLDI and OOPSLA. He has also served on the NSF Committee of Visitors Blue Ribbon Review Panel for the CISE Directorate. He earned his PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Dr. Zorn has played a significant leadership role in CRA’s industry engagement initiatives. He co-founded and co-chaired the CRA-Industry Committee from 2020 to 2024, helping to establish it as a key platform for strengthening collaboration between academia and industry. He has also been involved in organizing multiple CRA events, including the inaugural CRA-Industry Meeting at Snowbird in 2022 and the 2023 CRA Workshop on Computing Research in Industry. Previously, he served on the CCC Council from 2014 to 2020, contributing to several working groups and task forces.

Dr. Zorn has served as a CRA Board member since 2022.

Welcoming Other New Board Members 

CRA is also pleased to welcome the following three new additions to the Board of Directors. 

Wen-mei Hwu 

Wen-mei Hwu is a Senior Director of Research and Senior Distinguished Research Scientist at NVIDIA and a well-known leader in parallel computing. He spent 32 years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he is currently the AMD Jerry Sanders Chair Emeritus. He earned his PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Hwu is a Fellow of ACM and IEEE and has received numerous honors, including the 2024 ACM/IEEE Eckert-Mauchly Award, the IEEE Computer Society Charles Babbage Award, and the ACM Grace M. Hopper Award. His contributions to GPU computing and compiler optimization have shaped modern parallel computing, including his co-authored book: Programming Massively Parallel Processors: A Hands-on Approach.

On the CRA Board, Dr. Hwu aims to strengthen industry-academic collaboration and support AI and high-performance computing research. 

Keith Marzullo 

Keith Marzullo is the Dean of the College of Information (INFO) at the University of Maryland, a role he has held since 2016. He earned his PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

Dr. Marzullo is an ACM Fellow and serves on the advisory board for the National Science Foundation Office of International Science and Engineering. He also leads the North American section of the international iSchools organization. His research interests include cybersecurity, privacy, and socio-technical systems that enhance human well-being.

Prior to joining UMD, Dr. Marzullo was the Director of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development program at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He also previously led the Division of Computer and Network Systems at the National Science Foundation and held faculty positions at UC San Diego, the University of Tromsø, and Cornell University.

Dr. Marzullo serves on the CRA Board of Directors representing the Deans Council.

Bart Selman 

Bart Selman is a Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University and a leading researcher in artificial intelligence, focusing on computational sustainability, reasoning, planning, and knowledge representation. Previously, he was a researcher at AT&T Bell Laboratories.

A Fellow of AAAI and AAAS, Dr. Selman has received multiple best paper awards, with research published in Nature, Science, and PNAS. His honors include the Cornell Stephen Miles Excellence in Teaching Award, the Cornell Outstanding Educator Award, an NSF CAREER Award, and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship.

Dr. Selman serves on the CRA Board as the AAAI Representative.

Thanking Our Recently Exited and Soon-to-Exit Board Members 

Serving on the CRA Board of Directors requires a significant commitment of time, expertise, and dedication. We are deeply grateful for the service of those who have helped guide and support CRA’s mission through their work on the Board.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the following individuals who recently completed their board service: Kim Hazelwood (Meta), Yolanda Gil (University of Southern California), Eunice Santos, (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), and Jeannette Wing (Columbia University). 

In addition, four Board members’ terms of service will end June 30, 2025: Nancy M. Amato (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Lorrie Cranor (Carnegie Mellon University), Gillian Hayes (University of California, Irvine), and Jaime Teevan (Microsoft). 

We sincerely appreciate their contributions and dedication to the computing research community.

CRA Board of Directors Officer Elections 

During the February 2025 CRA Board of Directors Meeting in Washington, D.C., the Board finalized its officer elections, selecting a new Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.

James Allan – Chair 

James Allan has been elected Chair of the CRA Board of Directors. He is a Professor and Associate Dean of Research and Engagement at the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. A Fellow of the ACM, Dr. Allan was elected to the ACM SIGIR Academy in 2021 and received the ACM SIGIR Test of Time Award in 2016, among other career honors. He earned his PhD in computer science from Cornell University.

Dr. Allan has served on the CRA Board since 2018 and has been a member of the Executive Committee and Treasurer since 2019. He will vacate his role as Treasurer when he assumes the position of Chair on July 1, 2025.

Mary Hall – Vice Chair 

Mary Hall has been elected Vice Chair of the CRA Board of Directors. She is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Utah. A Fellow of both IEEE and ACM, Dr. Hall has been recognized with the CRA-WP Anita Borg Early Career Award and the IEEE Computer Society Ken Kennedy Award for her outstanding contributions to computing. She has made significant contributions to CRA, including serving on the BPCnet.org Steering Committee, co-chairing the CRA Career Mentoring Workshop in 2022, and serving on the CRA-Industry Steering Committee since 2021. She earned her Ph.D. in computer science from Rice University.

Dr. Hall has served on the CRA Board of Directors since 2015 and as an appointed member of the CRA Executive Committee since 2020. She will assume the position of Vice Chair on July 1, 2025.

Ran Libeskind-Hadas – Secretary 

Ran Libeskind-Hadas has been elected Secretary of the CRA Board of Directors. He is the Founding Chair of the Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences at Claremont McKenna College. Among his many honors are the NCWIT EngageCSEdu Engagement Excellence Award and the Harvey T. Mudd Prize. He earned his Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he was recognized as the CS Distinguished Alumni Educator in 2012.

Dr. Libeskind-Hadas has previously served as a member of CCC and as Co-Chair of CRA-E. He has been a CRA Board member since 2018 and has served as a member of the Executive Committee, holding the role of Secretary from 2019 to 2023 and Vice Chair since 2023. He will vacate his role as Vice Chair when he assumes the position of Secretary on July 1, 2025.

Ming Lin – Treasurer 

Ming Lin has been elected Treasurer of the CRA Board of Directors. She is the Dr. Barry Mersky and Capital One Endowed Professor and a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Maryland. She earned her PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Lin is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, ACM, and IEEE, and has been recognized by Eurographics, ACM SIGGRAPH Academy, and IEEE VR Academy for her contributions to the field. She has received numerous honors, including the NSF Young Faculty Career Award.

Dr. Lin has been deeply involved in CRA-WP, including serving as a member of its Board of Directors, as a program chair of the NSF DREU program, and contributing to other CRA-WP mentoring activities. She has been a member of the CRA Board since 2023. She will assume the position of Treasurer on July 1, 2025.

CRA’s newly elected Board Officers. From left to right: Ran Libeskind-Hadas (Secretary), Mary Hall (Vice Chair), James Allan (Chiar), Ming Lin (Treasurer).

A Special Thank You to Departing Board Chair Nancy M. Amato 

Nancy M. Amato, receiving a special award at the February 2025 CRA Board of Directors Meeting in recognition of her outstanding service as CRA Board Chair. Her term will conclude on June 30, 2025.

Nancy M. Amato, Director of the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science and Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering at The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will conclude her term as Chair of the CRA Board of Directors on June 30, 2025.

Dr. Amato has made numerous and lasting contributions to CRA during her tenure. She has served on the Board of Directors from 2014 to 2025, including terms as Vice Chair (2019-2021) and Chair (2021-present), having been reelected as Chair in 2023.

Her leadership has been instrumental in shaping CRA’s strategic direction. She led the search for CRA’s current Executive Director and CEO, Tracy Camp, and co-led (with Alex Aiken) the Research Integrity report, a collaborative effort among multiple computing societies. She also initiated key structural changes to Board meetings, including introducing breakout discussions—first implemented in July 2022—to encourage more interactive engagement and input from Board members. Additionally, she launched the Programmatic Committee Leadership meetings, now held twice annually, to foster cross-committee collaboration.

Dr. Amato has been a longtime champion of broadening participation in computing, serving as Co-Chair of CRA-WP (2014-2017), a Steering Committee member since 2011, and a CRA Board member since 2000. She has continuously advocated for new initiatives, including the “junior fellowship” concept, which is highlighted in CRA’s recently posted quadrennial paper on domestic student pathways to computing PhDs. In addition to her leadership in broadening participation, she contributed significantly to CRA’s education efforts as a CRA-E Board member from 2011 to 2020. In recognition of her outstanding leadership and contributions to increasing the success of groups historically minoritized in computing research, Dr. Amato received the CRA A. Nico Habermann Award in 2014.

CRA is deeply grateful for Dr. Amato’s extraordinary service, dedication, and vision, which have had a lasting impact on the organization and the computing research community.

Stay Up to Date on CRA Board Activities 

The CRA Board of Directors will next convene in late May. For updates on the CRA Board, including agendas and programmatic committee updates, as well as Board Meeting summaries, follow the CRA Bulletin and Computing Research News. 

As part of its 2024-2025 CRA Quadrennial Paper Series, the Computing Research Association (CRA) is pleased to announce the publishing of three additional papers that explore critical challenges at the intersection of computing research, workforce development, and national priorities. These new papers build on the first tranche of Quadrennial Papers released last month, which examined topics such as U.S. IT leadership, robotics workforce education, cybersecurity, post-quantum cryptography, computing for vulnerable populations, and post-Moore software performance.

These latest additions to the series address pressing issues in computing research workforce development, AI’s transformative role in healthcare, and the educational imperatives needed to prepare the workforce for AI-driven economic shifts.

New Papers in the 2024-2025 Quadrennial Paper Series

Empowering the Future Workforce: Prioritizing Education for the AI-Accelerated Job Market

Lisa Amini (IBM Research), Henry F. Korth (Lehigh University), Nita Patel (Otis), Evan Peck (University of Colorado Boulder), Ben Zorn (Microsoft)

As AI reshapes industries at an unprecedented pace, ensuring workforce adaptability is a national priority. This paper highlights the challenges in preparing workers for AI-driven economic shifts and outlines strategies for broadening AI literacy across disciplines. The authors propose coordinated efforts from government, industry, and academia to expand AI education funding, reskill workers, and establish a long-term framework for responsible AI use and human-AI collaboration.

> Read the paper

Enabling the AI Revolution in Healthcare

Mona Singh (Princeton University), Katie Siek (Indiana University Bloomington), David Danks (University of California San Diego), Rayid Ghani (Carnegie Mellon University), Haley Griffin (CRA), Brian LaMacchia (MPC Alliance), Daniel Lopresti (Lehigh University), Tammy Toscos (Parkview Health)

AI has the potential to revolutionize healthcare, improving diagnostics, treatments, and medical access, but its progress is hindered by fragmented and siloed patient data. This paper advocates for federal initiatives to establish secure health data repositories that enable responsible data sharing and researcher access. The authors outline critical steps, including privacy-preserving infrastructure, incentives for electronic health record (EHR) data sharing, and support for AI-driven healthcare innovation.

> Read the paper

Reversing the Computing Research Workforce Shortfall: Bolstering Domestic Student Pathways to PhDs

Susanne Hambrusch (Purdue University), Lori Pollock (University of Delaware), Mary Hall (University of Utah), Nancy M. Amato (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

The demand for computing expertise continues to rise, yet the number of domestic students pursuing PhDs in computing remains stagnant. This paper highlights the urgent need to strengthen domestic pathways to computing PhDs, particularly to sustain innovation and safeguard national security. The authors propose the National Computing Research Workforce Fellowship, a program designed to engage talented undergraduates early—before they are committed to industry—with research experiences, mentorship, and financial support for graduate studies.

> Read the paper

Previously Released Quadrennial Papers

Last month, CRA launched the 2024-2025 Quadrennial Paper Series with six papers addressing major computing research challenges:

• Reclaiming the Future: American IT Leadership in an Era of Global Competition – Calls for increased funding, streamlined immigration policies, and research openness to maintain U.S. global leadership.
• Imperative for Educating the Next Generation Robotics Technology Workforce – Advocates for national training centers and K-12 robotics education to sustain U.S. competitiveness in automation.
• Lessons for Cybersecurity from the American Public Health System – Recommends adopting public health principles to improve national cybersecurity resilience.
• The Post-Quantum Cryptography Transition: Making Progress, But Still a Long Road Ahead – Urges investment and international coordination to secure critical infrastructure from quantum threats.
• Prioritizing Computing Research to Empower and Protect Vulnerable Populations – Examines ethical challenges and solutions for designing technology that serves at-risk communities.
• Setting a Course for Post-Moore Software Performance – Highlights the urgent need for software performance engineering (SPE) investment to optimize computing capabilities.

Exploring the Full Series

The 2024-2025 CRA Quadrennial Papers offer a roadmap for policymakers, researchers, and the public to engage with critical computing research issues shaping the future. These papers provide actionable recommendations on national and global priorities in computing research, guiding discussions on sustaining U.S. leadership in technology, strengthening research pathways, and addressing societal challenges.

For more information and to explore the full series, visit CRA’s Quadrennial Papers webpage.

A statement from the Computing Research Association (CRA)

The reported termination today of 10 percent of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) workforce — including significant cuts to the Computing and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate — is a deeply troubling, self-inflicted setback to U.S. leadership in computing research. These cuts are the very definition of being pennywise and pound foolish — a shortsighted move that will undermine American innovation and technological leadership and decrease our competitiveness and national security while delivering negligible cost savings.

The CISE Directorate plays a critical role in the nation’s computing research ecosystem, supporting nearly 80 percent of fundamental computing research at U.S. universities. These investments — both in funding and expert personnel — have been instrumental in driving breakthroughs that power a $2 trillion IT sector, strengthen national security, and sustain U.S. competitiveness in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, high-performance computing, and other key fields. Cutting CISE’s workforce not only disrupts this essential research but also jeopardizes the future of American leadership in computing.

NSF is one of the most efficient federal agencies, operating with less than 9 percent overhead costs. These arbitrary terminations are not justified by performance metrics or efficiency concerns; rather, they represent a drastic and unnecessary weakening of the U.S. research enterprise. For more than 70 years, NSF has fueled discoveries that have transformed industries, created high-paying jobs, and bolstered national security. Undermining this critical infrastructure will have long-term consequences that cannot be easily reversed.

These personnel cuts come amid broader concerns about reductions to NSF’s budget, which CRA addressed in a recent statement: NSF Budget Cuts Would Put the Future of U.S. Innovation and Security at Risk. The U.S. cannot afford to weaken its investment in research at a time when global competitors are increasing theirs. We urge policymakers to reverse these damaging cuts and reaffirm the nation’s commitment to scientific and technological leadership.

A statement from the Computing Research Association (CRA)

Recent executive actions have raised the potential of significant budget cuts and mass layoffs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), a move that should cause deep concern to anyone worried about U.S. innovation, national security, and workforce competitiveness. Reducing the nation’s relatively modest, but highly productive investment in NSF, will have devastating consequences for the country’s position as a global leader in science and technology.

For decades, NSF has been the backbone of U.S. scientific and technological leadership. Its investments have fueled discoveries that drive entire industries, strengthen national security, and create high-paying jobs in emerging fields. NSF-funded research has driven groundbreaking advancements across scientific disciplines, fueling economic growth and strengthening U.S. global competitiveness. NSF delivers these benefits — including driving innovations in computing that power an IT sector contributing more than $2 trillion annually to U.S. GDP — with an astonishingly small investment. The agency’s entire budget, approximately $10 billion per year, would be a rounding error in many federal budgets, yet its impact on science, technology, and the economy is immense.

Why This Matters for American Prosperity

Federal support for research is not just an academic concern — it is a fundamental driver of national prosperity. In most major fields of science, NSF funds over 50 percent of basic research at U.S. institutions. The discoveries made possible by these investments fuel new industries, create jobs, and drive economic growth in every state.

Significantly cutting NSF’s budget would cripple America’s ability to sustain its technical workforce, economic competitiveness, and scientific leadership. The consequences would be far-reaching:

• Job Losses and Economic Decline – NSF-funded research has long been a catalyst for innovation that leads to the creation of high-growth industries. From the early days of the internet and semiconductors to today’s AI revolutions and high-performance computers, cutting NSF’s investments means fewer breakthrough technologies, fewer startups, and fewer high-paying jobs in fields that drive economic growth. It would also reduce the supply of skilled workers in key industries, limiting U.S. economic competitiveness.
• Weakened National Security – NSF research drives advances in cybersecurity, defense technologies, and critical infrastructure, all vital to national security. Cutting federal support would slow progress while competing nations continue investing in technology to gain military and economic advantages, putting the U.S. at greater risk.
• Loss of Research Talent – A reduction in NSF funding will force researchers to leave the field, drastically reducing the nation’s research capacity in computing and other critical areas. It would also disrupt the training and mentorship of students who are essential to sustaining the U.S. research enterprise, weakening America’s ability to lead in science and technology. 

Computing Research Especially at Risk

The impact of a significant NSF budget cut would not be evenly distributed across all disciplines. While NSF funds over 50 percent of basic research at U.S. institutions, NSF funds nearly 80 percent of fundamental computing research at U.S. institutions making it the single most important agency for sustaining advances in computing — the foundational technology behind artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and other areas critical to economic growth and national defense.

NSF’s support extends beyond academic institutions — it fosters public-private partnerships, develops the nation’s technical workforce, and sustains the innovation pipeline that U.S. industry relies on to remain competitive in the global economy.

Meanwhile, China is making historic investments in computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, openly stating its goal to become the world’s preeminent technological power. The U.S. cannot afford to unilaterally weaken its own leadership in these critical areas.

A Critical Moment for U.S. Leadership

For generations, federal investments in research and education have fueled American innovation, economic growth, and global leadership in science and technology. Technical innovation and breakthroughs with personal computers, the Internet, cloud computing, robotics, and other important fields started due to federal funding. A drastic cut to NSF would reverse that progress and cede the future to global competitors who are doubling down on their investments in science and technology.

Congress must act to reject any proposed cuts to NSF. The U.S. cannot afford to take a step backward. The choices made today will determine whether America remains the global leader in innovation — or if we allow others to take our place.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is excited to announce $2 million in new funding to extend and expand the UR2PhD Program through 2026, a critical initiative aimed at increasing student interest in computing research that leads to the pursuit of a PhD. This support from Google.org, the company’s philanthropy, will enable a range of new initiatives designed to sustain and deepen engagement with undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty mentors, and the broader computing research community. 

Launched in 2023, the UR2PhD Program has already begun establishing itself as a transformative force in preparing undergraduate students for research careers and pathways to PhD programs in computing. With this new funding, the program will launch two key initiatives to further its mission: 

New REU Funding Opportunities 

The additional funding will support a number of Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) opportunities for students who have successfully completed the UR2PhD Undergraduate Research Training Course. This initiative will provide financial support for students to engage in faculty-mentored research, further enhancing their skills, confidence, and competitiveness for graduate study. By bridging the gap between training and research experience, this funding aims to sustain students’ enthusiasm and commitment to research careers. 

Undergraduate Mentoring Workshop and Research Showcase

In 2026, the UR2PhD Program will host its first Undergraduate Mentoring Workshop and Research Showcase, bringing together undergraduate researchers, their mentors, and leaders in the field. This in-person event will provide a unique platform for students to present their work, build professional networks, and receive tailored mentoring on research practices and pathways to graduate school. This new initiative reflects CRA’s commitment to fostering a community of support for students interested in pursuing advanced degrees in computing.

These new efforts align with the UR2PhD Program’s mission of broadening participation in computing and ensuring undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty mentors, and universities and colleges have the resources and support they need to sustain student interest in research. 

“We are deeply grateful for this generous support, which allows us to expand our efforts to increase the pipeline of future computing researchers,” said Kelly Shaw, one of the UR2PhD Program Leaders. “These initiatives will help us engage students more deeply, sustain their momentum, and provide invaluable mentoring and community-building opportunities.” 

The UR2PhD Program looks forward to sharing more updates as these initiatives take shape. For more information about the program and how to get involved, visit cra.org/ur2phd. 

This announcement underscores CRA’s unwavering commitment to advancing computing research. With this new funding, the UR2PhD Program is poised to have an even greater impact on shaping the future of the field.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is spearheading efforts to transform and improve undergraduate computing education. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), community leaders, and NSF BPC Alliances, the NSF LEVEL UP initiative is building consensus on best practices for creating more effective, inclusive, and equitable computing programs. These efforts aim to ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive in undergraduate computing education.

This collaborative effort engaged nearly 400 educators, researchers, and professionals from across the computing community through six regional workshops held in late 2023 and early 2024. The workshops laid a strong foundation for meaningful change, driving conversations about actionable strategies to address critical challenges and improve student experiences in computing education.

Engaging the Community to Drive Change

The NSF LEVEL UP workshops fostered dynamic, full-day discussions among participants, focusing on seven key challenges in undergraduate computing education. The workshops provided opportunities to explore innovative solutions that institutions can implement to create more effective learning environments.

Post-workshop surveys revealed overwhelmingly positive feedback, with over 90 percent of participants reporting that the sessions were productive. Many attendees noted the immediate impact of the discussions, including engaging their academic units in conversations about improvements before and after the workshops. This ripple effect underscores the initiative’s potential to transform undergraduate programs and better prepare students for careers in computing.

“NSF LEVEL UP demonstrated the computing community’s shared commitment to advancing undergraduate computing education,” said Tracy Camp, CRA Executive Director and CEO, during her presentation at the 2024 CRA Conference at Snowbird. “The strategies developed in these workshops have the potential to make a profound difference in our discipline.”

Actionable Insights: Four Initial High-Priority Strategies

Based on findings from the six workshops, CRA rolled out four initial evidence-based, high-priority strategies that academic leaders are encouraged to implement:

1. Tracking and Reviewing Intersectional Data on Recruitment, Retention, and Performance in Individual Classes – Use disaggregated data to identify disparities and guide interventions to improve educational outcomes.
2. Training TAs in Inclusive Teaching Practices – Equip teaching assistants with the skills to foster welcoming environments, particularly in introductory courses.
3. Investing in Student Affinity Groups – Support groups that provide peer networks and foster belonging.
4. Appointing Faculty Leaders for Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) Efforts – Designate faculty champions to oversee and drive BPC initiatives.

Keep an eye on the NSF LEVEL UP site for helpful resources. They’ll provide support for implementing the four strategies, as well as offer additional strategies for academic leaders to consider.  

NSF LEVEL UP AI: Expanding the Vision to Artificial Intelligence

Discussions at the LEVEL UP workshops, along with insights from other CRA initiatives, have highlighted an urgent priority: the need to focus on undergraduate AI education. As AI reshapes industries and society at large, it is also redefining how we educate and train the future AI workforce. Addressing these shifts is critical to ensuring students are well-prepared to succeed in this rapidly advancing field.

Building on the momentum generated by NSF LEVEL UP, the initiative is now evolving to address this transformative area of computing. Recognizing the growing influence and opportunities AI offers, the expanded program — NSF LEVEL UP AI — aims to bring the same energy and commitment to reshaping AI education as it has to undergraduate computing programs.

Part of NSF’s broader EducateAI program, NSF LEVEL UP AI seeks to expand and diversify AI education by:

• Increasing Capacity: Building the infrastructure and curricula needed to deliver high-quality AI education.
• Promoting Inclusion: Ensuring all students have access to AI resources and opportunities.
• Fostering Collaboration: Hosting virtual roundtables and regional workshops to develop actionable strategies for scaling AI education.

“Under NSF EducateAI and NSF IUSE: CUE, we funded the NSF LEVEL UP AI project, an effort that brings together educators, researchers, and professionals across the computing community to build a shared vision for expanding and diversifying AI education,” said Greg Hager, Assistant Director for CISE at NSF. “This project will serve as a hub for the NAIRR Pilot Classroom Education conferences, shaping and leveraging the infrastructure necessary to deliver quality AI education experiences.”

By aligning with the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot initiative, NSF LEVEL UP AI ensures that institutions have access to the computational tools, data, and expertise needed to deliver inclusive, high-quality AI education.

The Path Forward: A Call to Action

NSF LEVEL UP and LEVEL UP AI represent a significant movement in transforming undergraduate computing and AI education. CRA invites academic leaders, educators, and researchers to join this effort by:

• Implementing the four initial LEVEL UP strategies within their programs (if not already done).
• Visiting the NSF LEVEL UP site for helpful resources and forthcoming strategies. 
• Participating in upcoming LEVEL UP AI virtual roundtables and workshops.
• Collaborating with peers to share best practices and scale inclusive education initiatives.

“The computing research community is ready to continue this important work,” said Camp. “We’re excited to see how NSF LEVEL UP AI will expand our impact and further empower institutions to create opportunities for all students to thrive.”

CRA encourages readers to learn more about the initiative and get involved by visiting the NSF LEVEL UP AI webpage and signing up for updates. Together, the computing community can shape the future of computing education and prepare an inclusive, AI-ready workforce.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is pleased to announce the 2025 Election Committee’s slate of candidates for the CRA Board of Directors. 

Academic (3 Openings)

• David Ebert (University of Oklahoma) 
• Maria Gini* (University of Minnesota)
• Gillian Hayes* (University of California, Irvine)
• Martin Margala (University of Louisiana at Lafayette)
• Leen-Kiat Soh (University of Nebraska) 

Non-Academic (3 Openings)

• Mark Hill (formerly Microsoft)
• Divesh Srivastava* (AT&T)
• Jeffrey Walz (Acadigm.ai) 
• Ben Zorn* (Microsoft Research)

*Denotes current Board Members. 

Petition Nominees Sought 

CRA also encourages nominations by petition. Petition nominations must be signed by the Designated Voting Representatives of at least five Constituent Member Organizations that are current in dues payment.

A complete nomination package for petition candidates must be submitted here no later than January 21, 2025. Separately, each of the five supporters of the petition must send an email to elections@cra.org simply stating their support for the petition candidate to run for a seat on the CRA Board of Directors.

Questions may be sent to elections@cra.org. 

Important Dates and Events 

In late January, final ballots will be distributed to all CRA member contacts. Voting will be done by ranked vote. All candidates can be ranked in the ballot. 

By February 14, completed ballots must be returned to CRA.

The election results will be announced by the end of February.

Are you a newly promoted or soon-to-be-promoted full professor in computing? The Computing Research Association (CRA) invites you to nominate yourself or a colleague for the 2025 CRA Leadership Academy, an in-person workshop designed to inspire and empower the next generation of leaders in computing research. The academy will be held February 20-21, 2025, in Washington, D.C., with applications closing on December 13, 2024.

This immersive event provides a unique opportunity to enhance your leadership skills, expand your network, and learn from experienced leaders in computing. Participants will engage in interactive sessions on topics such as team-building, navigating university budgets, conflict resolution, and more. 

The event will be co-located with a meeting of the CRA Board of Directors, providing participants with unique opportunities to engage and network with esteemed computing research leaders serving on the board. Additionally, attendees will join follow-up virtual cohort meetings in spring 2025 to continue learning and connecting with peers.

Hear from Past Participants

Past attendees have shared how the CRA Leadership Academy impacted their professional growth and leadership aspirations:

• “The most inspiring part of attending the CRA Leadership Academy was connecting with other aspiring leaders in computing at similar career stages,” said Pamela Wisniewski, Associate Professor in Human-Computer Interaction and a Flowers Faculty Fellow in Engineering at Vanderbilt University. “It was incredibly valuable to learn about different trajectories into leadership and to network with such a supportive community.”

• Dorian Arnold, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Emory University, reflected on the program’s unique offerings. “This was an exceptional experience. The highlights for me included hearing candid advice from the search firm panel, connecting with a compelling cohort of rising leaders, and engaging closely with community leaders who were incredibly open to mentoring and sharing their insights. The contacts I made continue to be a valuable resource.”

• “What stood out to me was the diversity of perspectives brought together,” shared Adrienne Decker, an Associate Professor in the Department of Engineering Education at the University at Buffalo. “Hearing stories and lessons from those just beginning their leadership journey to seasoned leaders with decades of experience provided a rich understanding of leadership pathways. The interactive discussions and networking opportunities made it an even more rewarding experience.”

Why Apply?

The CRA Leadership Academy is designed to:

• Equip you with practical tools and strategies for leadership roles in computing.
• Provide insights into navigating the complexities of academic environments.
• Connect you with peers and mentors who can support your leadership journey.

Limited scholarships are available to assist participants whose institutions cannot provide funding for travel. Participants are responsible for their own travel, accommodations, and a registration fee, which includes meals and workshop materials.

Eligibility and Application Details

The academy is open to individuals at CRA-member North American universities who are:

• Recently promoted or approaching promotion to full professor.
• Committed to attending both the in-person workshop and the follow-up virtual cohort meetings.

Applications are due by December 13, 2024. To apply or nominate a colleague, visit the CRA Leadership Academy webpage.

Take the next step in your academic leadership journey by applying to the 2025 CRA Leadership Academy. We look forward to helping you unlock your potential and make a lasting impact in computing research.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) is pleased to share that nominations are open for the 2025 CRA Distinguished Service Award and the CRA A. Nico Habermann Award. These prestigious awards honor a person, persons, or organization that has made significant contributions to the computing research community. 

The deadline for nominations is January 31, 2025.

CRA Distinguished Service Award

This award recognizes individuals or organizations that have made an outstanding service contribution to the computing research community. Honorees are celebrated for their impactful work in areas such as government affairs, professional societies, publications or conferences, and leadership.

The 2024 recipient of the CRA Distinguished Service Award was Dr. Manish Parashar, Director of the Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute at the University of Utah. Dr. Parashar’s contributions span academic research, federal leadership at NSF’s Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure, and pivotal roles in initiatives like the COVID-19 High-Performance Computing Consortium. His work has advanced the concept of a National Strategic Computing Reserve and fostered equitable access to cyberinfrastructure resources.

CRA A. Nico Habermann Award

This award honors the late A. Nico Habermann, who led the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate and was deeply committed to increasing the participation of people from groups minoritized in technology. The award is presented to individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to increasing the numbers and/or successes of minoritized groups in the computing research community.

Recognized contributions can include work in areas such as government affairs, educational programs, professional societies, public awareness, and leadership. Efforts may focus on the research level or its immediate precursors, including undergraduate and graduate students.

The 2024 recipient of the CRA A. Nico Habermann Award was Dr. Mary Ann Leung, Founder and President of the Sustainable Horizons Institute. Dr. Leung was recognized for her visionary leadership in broadening participation initiatives, including the Sustainable Research Pathways program and the DOE Exascale Computing Project’s Broadening Participation Initiative. Her work has facilitated research opportunities and mentorship for nearly 200 faculty and students across 10 DOE national labs, driving impactful and sustained change.

How to Submit Nominations

We encourage members of the computing research community to consider  a person, persons, or organization that has demonstrated exemplary leadership, service, and advocacy in these areas. Self-nominations are welcome.

To learn more about each award, review nomination guidelines, and access the submission portals, visit the cra.org pages for the CRA Distinguished Service Award and the CRA A. Nico Habermann Award.

Spread the Word

Help us recognize deserving individuals by sharing this announcement widely within your networks, including by resharing our calls for nominations on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. These awards are an opportunity to honor impactful work that strengthens and diversifies the computing research community.

For questions about the nomination process, please contact awards@cra.org. 

Submit your nominations by January 31, 2025!

Collaboration between academia and industry is crucial for driving technological innovation and fostering economic growth. By identifying successful partnership models and a range of effective practices, stakeholders can strengthen these connections to stimulate new ways of engagement between academia and industry. 

In support of this goal, CRA-Industry is hosting a small, 40-person workshop on “Breadth of Practices in Academia-Industry Relationships” in Seattle, WA, on March 20-21, 2025. Scott DeBoer, Executive Vice President of Micron, will be the keynote speaker. The workshop aims to bring together computing research stakeholders from both academia and industry to explore key questions, including:

• Utilizing Industry Resources: How can academia effectively utilize industry resources and expertise to improve research outcomes?
• Shaping Curriculum: How can industry play a more active role in helping universities align curriculum with evolving industry needs and trends?
• Incentivizing Collaboration: What incentives can universities offer faculty and researchers to engage in collaborative projects with industry partners?
• Promoting Entrepreneurship: How can universities better facilitate technology transfer and entrepreneurship to turn academic research into real-world applications?
• Ensuring Equitable Partnerships: What strategies can be implemented to ensure fair distribution of benefits and recognition in academia-industry partnerships?

Participants will engage in meaningful discussions, share best practices, and contribute to the development of a “breadth of practices” document to be shared with the broader computing research community.

How to Participate

• If you are interested in attending, please email Helen Wright (hwright@cra.org) by December 10th. 
• If you are interested in participating as a speaker, please submit a brief paragraph highlighting your involvement with academia/industry partnerships. 

Due to space limitations and the goal of fostering open discussions among a small group, the workshop planning committee will select participants based on the relevance of their submissions to the workshop topics.

As part of our commitment to making this event accessible, CRA-I charges no registration fee to attend. Participants are only responsible for their travel and hotel expenses (a link for discounted hotel rates will be provided during registration). If you have any questions about these policies, please reach out to Helen Wright at hwright@cra.org.

CRA-I and the workshop organizers look forward to your submission!