Peking University, May 18, 2017: On May 16, Peking University (PKU) held an appointment ceremony for Professor John E. Hopcroft, the IBM Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics in Computer Science at Cornell University and recipient of 1986 ACM A.M. Turing Award.
Professor Hopcroft becomes another world-top scientist in the Chinese artificial intelligence industry, and also a top scientific and technological personnel introduced to China after Nobel Prize winner, Chen-Ning Yang, and the only ethnic Chinese Turing Award winner, Andrew Chi-Chih Yao.
Gao Wen, vice president of National Natural Science Foundation of China and director of Faculty of Information and Engineering Sciences of PKU, addressed his welcome for Professor Hopcroft’s joining PKU and chairing Frontier Computing Science Center. He stated that Faculty of Information and Engineering Sciences shall give full support to Professor Hopcroft’s work in PKU.
Huang Ru, dean of School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) of PKU, pointed out that it was a historic moment for PKU to have a Turing Award winner joining in, and it should be a good opportunity to raise the teaching and research level of computer science and related subjects in PKU and to introduce more high-end talents for EECS.
On behalf of PKU, President Lin Jianhua expressed welcome for Professor Hopcroft. He reviewed the previous meetings with Professor Hopcroft and gave high credit to his devotion to teaching and passion for students. Lin hoped that Professor Hopcroft would help promote the on-going comprehensive reform and the development of PKU. Lin Jianhua issued the Appointment Letter of Visiting Professorship to Professor Hopcroft.
Professor Hopcroft said that he would offer his help in talents attracting, course teaching and related aspects through his experiences and logic.
Lin Jianhua issuing the appointment letter to Professor Hopcroft
Before the appointment ceremony, Professor Hopcroft gave a lecture titled Future Directions in Computer Science Research.
Professor Hopcroft visited PKU during May 15-17 at the invitation of Faculty of Information and Engineering Sciences and EECS, PKU. In the coming summer, he is going to take part in the selection and interview of students, whom, if selected, will then study under the new cultivating system of Frontier Computing Science Center from the fall semester, 2017.
Background Information:
John E. Hopcroft (1939.10.07 - ), is the IBM Professor of Engineering and Applied Mathematics in Computer Science at Cornell University, recipient of 1986 ACM A.M. Turing Award, member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), United States. Hopcroft’s research focus was on theoretical computer science, especially in the field of algorithms, automata theory, and graph algorithms. His works include The Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithm; Data Structures and Algorithms; Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation, etc.
B.S. of Electrical Engineering, Seattle University, 1961
M.S. of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, 1962
Ph.D. of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, 1964.
Assistant Professor of Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, 1964 - 1967.
Dean of College of Engineering, Cornell University,1994 - 2001
Recipient of the A.M. Turing Award for fundamental achievements in the design and analysis of algorithms and data structures, 1986
Member of National Science Board (NSB), 1992 - 1998
Recipient of IEEE Harry H. Goode Memorial Award, 2005
Recipient of Distinguished Service Award from Computing Research Association, 2007
Written by: Pan Xuru
Edited by: Wang Chengsiou / Zhang Jiang
