By Syl Kacapyr for the Cornell Chronicle
Powerful X-rays, energy tech, wireless electric-vehicle charging, big data, swarming robots, and cryo-electron microscopy are among some of the research themes that helped six faculty members earn Cornell Engineering Research Excellence Awards – the highest research honor given by the Ivy League’s top-ranked engineering college.
Among the winners is David Shmoys, the Laibe/Acheson Professor of Business Management and Leadership Studies, School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, and a field member in computer science.
Recipients of the annual awards are nominated by their departments and selected by a committee for more than just their individual research outcomes. Awardees are also recognized for their impacts on society, reputation in the field, leadership, mentorship, and citizenship within the college and university.
Shmoys—the Laibe/Acheson Professor of Business Management and Leadership Studies, School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, and a field member in computer science—is renowned for his design and analysis of efficient algorithms for discrete optimization problems. More generally, the growth of big data has made his expertise directly applicable to a wide range of fields, including sustainability, genomics, and political redistricting. His work on bike-sharing algorithms won multiple awards and informs CitiBike’s New York City operations. Shmoys joined Cornell in 1989 and he has held several leadership including director of the Center for Data Science for Enterprise and Society and former school director. He was instrumental in reopening campus during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping to inform university protocols and rebuild the course schedule.
"I am incredibly proud of our engineering faculty’s world-class research leadership, impeccable citizenship, and outsized impact to the community and humanity,” said Huili Grace Xing, associate dean for research and graduate studies at Cornell Engineering. “They are the cornerstone of Cornell’s collaborative campus and the foundation of the Ivy’s best engineering college."
The Research Excellence Awards will be formally presented at the Engineering Faculty Reception and Meeting to be held on Dec. 7.