UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Patrick McDaniel, professor of computer science and engineering at Penn State, has been named a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for his contributions to computer and mobile systems security.
ACM, the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, recognizes the top 1 percent of its members for their achievements related to information technology and outstanding service to ACM or the larger computing community.
“I am deeply honored to have the work I have spent a lifetime doing recognized,” said McDaniel. “This is particularly poignant because it was a decision made by my peers in the computer science community, and to be singled out amongst many deserving people worldwide is a deeply humbling experience.”
McDaniel has been a Penn State faculty member since 2004. His research interests are in the areas of security, systems and networking. His pioneering work on the security of smartphone applications has led the security community in developing tools and methods of ensuring that software from mobile app markets are protected from hackers. He received the Google Security and Product Safety Acknowledgement in recognition of ongoing efforts in improving the security of Google's Android cellular phone operating system.
Professor McDaniel is also the program manager and lead scientist for the newly created Cyber Security (CS) Collaborative Research Alliance (CRA), a 10-year, $48 million project aimed at establishing a new science of computer and network security. The CRA is led by Penn State and includes faculty and researchers from the Army Research Laboratory, Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University, the University of California-Davis, the University of California-Riverside, and Applied Communication Services.
In addition to being named an ACM Fellow, McDaniel is also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics (IEEE) Engineers, co-director of the Systems and Internet Infrastructure Security Laboratory, the principal investigator of the CRA, and chair of the IEEE Computer Society's Technical Committee on Security and Privacy.
McDaniel received his doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 2001.
He will be formally recognized at the ACM annual awards banquet in June in San Francisco.