Faculty

Faculty members across the College of Engineering and Computer Science achieved significant career milestones in earning promotions and tenure for the 2024-25 cycle. The approved faculty — 11 for promotion and five for promotion and tenure — underwent a rigorous performance evaluation by peers, college and university leaders that took nearly an academic year. The…

A UCF computer science professor who has dedicated his career to advancing virtual reality (VR) technologies has been recognized for his achievements by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Visualization and Graphics Technical Community (IEEE VGTC). Joseph J. LaViola Jr., a Charles F. Millican professor in the UCF Department of Computer Science, has been…

The UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science has witnessed unprecedented faculty growth over the past few years and the spring 2025 semester is no exception. Eleven additional faculty members, including one with a joint appointment, will join the college this semester, after 17 new hires in fall 2024. The increase in faculty is part…

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEE CS) has elected Professor Damla Turgut, the chair of the UCF Department of Computer Science, to its Board of Governors. She will serve a two-year term, playing a pivotal role in guiding strategy and direction for the organization that furthers the interests of its 375,000 members worldwide.…

Carolina Cruz-Neira, Agere Chair Professor in the UCF Department of Computer Science, was honored by the National Center for Simulation (NCS) with her induction to its 2024 Hall of Fame, a testament to her groundbreaking work and global acclaim in modeling and simulation, virtual reality, interactive visualization, high-performance computing and digital twins. She was one…

UCF students have introduced a new way for future cyber professionals to develop the hands-on cyber skills they’ll need in their careers. Horse Plinko, a live cyberattack-simulation contest named after a meme of a horse falling through a plinko board, has exploded in popularity since its introduction last year. Organizers hosted its second Horse Plinko…

UCF faculty members across the university, including several from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, achieved significant career milestones in earning promotions and tenure for the 2023-24 cycle. The 104 approved faculty — 63 for promotion, 40 for promotion and tenure and one for tenure — underwent a rigorous performance evaluation by peers, college…

It’s not often that creators get to experience the thrill of seeing people using their products for the first time. For the students in UCF’s AI for Game Programming course however, it’s a unique opportunity they can have thanks to Assistant Professor Johnathan Mell. Mell, a video game aficionado, started playing the games developed by…

Virtual reality pioneer Carolina Cruz-Neira, Agere Chair Professor at the UCF Department of Computer Science, has been inducted into the inaugural Augmented World Expo (AWE) XR Hall of Fame. With her induction, she joins an elite international group of 100 researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, advocates and others selected for building the augmented reality and virtual reality…

UCF professor Yan Solihin has been honored by the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group in Microarchitecture (ACM SIGMICRO) with the Distinguished Service Award. He was recognized for the achievement at the International Symposium on Microarchitecture in Toronto, held from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, 2023. The Distinguished Service Award is presented to a…

The UCF Department of Computer Science is pleased to announce that Professor Damla Turgut, Ph.D., has been appointed Chair of the Department. Her appointment will begin August 8, 2022. ¨Our department went through tremendous growth to become a world-class name in Computer Science research and education. It is a great honor for me to follow…

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named Professor Mubarak Shah a Fellow for his significant contributions to human action recognition in video and for his leadership in promoting the undergraduate research experience. Only 1 percent of ACM members hold this prestigious distinction, a peer-nominated honor that recognizes outstanding accomplishments in computing and information technology.…

Two UCF professors are being honored as 2022 fellows by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a prestigious national distinction. The IEEE announced its new cohort of 311 fellows earlier this month. Their fellowships bring the total number of IEEE fellows at UCF to 17, underscoring the national prominence of UCF professors among…

UCF Professor Greg Welch is one of 164 national faculty members who have been named to the National Academy of Inventors and one of only 10 from Florida this year. Welch is the AdventHealth Endowed Chair in Healthcare Simulation in UCF’s College of Nursing. The computer scientist and engineer is also the co-director of the UCF Synthetic Reality…

One of the most exciting and enjoyable aspects of working in a large research university is the myriad opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. I oversee a small themed experience graduate program at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. We must partner with industry and other academic disciplines in order to provide an educational experience that…