Endorsements
Silvia Zhao
Vice President of Data Science and Engineering, General Electric Oil and Gas
It is my great pleasure to endorse Prof. Sumi Helal for running the 2020 IEEE Computer Society President Election. I've known Prof. Helal since 2003. Prof. Helal is an innovative researcher and entrepreneur. He is a well-published and leading researcher in the areas of smart home, pervasive and mobile computing in the past decades. With his technical vision and passionate entrepreneurship, he founded several startups and successfully made the possibilities into reality. Prof. Helal is also a compassionate leader. He always inspires and encourages young professionals and students to combine their efforts, skills, talents, enthusiasm and commitments to work together for the greater achievements. He tirelessly guides them through the challenges with wisdom and patience. This compassionate leadership will play a critical role for helping the CS community if Prof. Helal is elected as the 2020 President Elect of the IEEE Computer Society.
Gul Agha
Interim CEO, Embedor Technologies; IEEE Fellow; ACM Fellow; Golden Core Member of IEEE Computer Society; Served as Chair of IEEE Computer Society Magazine Operations Committee, as Editor-in-Chief IEEE Parallel and Distributed Technology, as Editor-in-Chief of ACM Computing Surveys, Professor of Computer Science and Director of Open Systems Laboratory at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Computer Society has been going through challenging times: its membership has shrunk significantly over the past decades and its finances are stressed. The Society needs pro-active and dynamic leadership which not only meets the needs of its members, but helps make the Society relevant to the broad and growing global Computer Science community. I believe Sumi Helal will provide this sort of leadership. I base this assessment on his record as well as my interactions with him over two decades. An important strength Dr. Helal would bring to the Society's leadership is the fact that he has worked in academia as well as been a successful entrepreneur. Moreover, Dr. Helal has a long and distinguished record of service to the Society--organizing conferences, serving as an Editor-in-Chief, serving Technical Committees, and Chairing the Magazine Operations Committee. As such, he understand the nuts and bolts of the Society's operations. His style of operation is open and engaging. As such, he will be responsive to input from a wide circle of scholars and practitioners. Dr. Helal has undertaken numerous new initiatives--both as a volunteer for the Society and in his professional career. He has a proven track record of successful international engagement: seventeen years ago, I observed him facilitate the Society's effort to deepen its relationship with Japanese and Korean computer societies by initiating a series of successful international conferences in the application of internet technologies. It is the sort of engagement needed today as the Society has not always been a profile in courage. The Computer Society needs to put its responsibility to the profession first, to engage globally, and to take the risks to foster and sustain new initiatives. I endorse Dr. Helal's candidacy. It provides an opportunity to start to reverse the current trajectory and help the Computer Society measure up to its preeminent stature.
Carl K. Chang
Professor, Iowa State University, IEEE Computer Society President 2004
Sumi Helal is my role model. Not only because I have largely benefited from collaborating with him on scholarly work, but also that I learned so much from observing his skillful handling of many critical yet difficult issues with definitive integrity. As a world-renowned researcher and a widely respected academician, Sumi brought me into the world of smart technologies, ubiquitous/pervasive computing and digital health. Many of his supporters also regard Sumi as an audacious entrepreneur and a pioneer leading like-minded professionals in exploring ways of fostering the formation of industrial alliance when there was apparently a need for standard and common platform for the smart programmable space. He served on the editorial board when I was still the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Computer. I witnessed that, when later he became the EIC himself, he not only sustained the editorial operations of Computer during a turbulent period of time facing the extreme shortage of staff resource, but also expanded the technical coverage by adding reputable editors to broaden the editorial scope to better serve the readers. He is the kind of highly influential volunteer leaders who is always forward looking and action-laden supported with robust strategies. His passion for doing things right and doing the right thing is highly contagious in the top-tier volunteer circle. I trust that if he gets elected to become the 2021 Computer Society president there will be a brighter tomorrow. I encourage you to carefully review his position statement and directly write to him if you have any question or input. Sumi always lends me a listening ear when I have something to say to him. Rest assured that he listens to you too.
Ramesh Jain
Professor and Director of the Institute of Future Health, University of California, Irvine, IEEE Fellow, ACM Fellow, SPIE Fellow, AAAS Fellow, and AAAI Fellow
I have personally known Sumi only slightly more than a year (since April 2018) as we met and exchanged visits to our universities: UC Irvine and Lancaster University. We have quickly moved to working together on a number of projects including an IEEE Computer Society Ad Hoc Committee on Digital Health to raise recommendations regarding publications and technical activities in this important and emerging area. Before I know it, I am working with him on a special issue for the Computer magazine on Digital Health and especially on Active and Healthy Living and Aging, which we just finalized and delivered to the editorial staff of Computer. I also engaged with him and other colleagues on organizing the first IEEE Symposium on Digital Health as a Service, in Milan, Italy which was held 13 July 2019. It would not make sense to list everything but it does make sense to point out that I do not recall I have ever collaborated and done so much with a single collaborator in such a short time. This is the result of Sumi’s excellent positive personality and interest in applying technology to affect society. In addition to a strong researcher, Sumi understands how to use professional network to get the best out of technology for society. He is a technology leader who brings together people and makes them synergistically work together towards a shared goal. Knowing Sumi deeply for such a short period, yet doing many diverse projects in research, publications, and conferences gives me the confidence to endorse him full-heartedly for the position of IEEE Computer Society President.
Roy Want
Senior Research Scientist at Google, PhD, IEEE Fellow, EIC IEEE Pervasive Computing 2006-10, ACM Fellow, ACM SIGMOBILE Outstanding Contributions Award 2019
I have known Dr. Helal, as a peer researcher, since 2001 when we became founding members of the editorial board for IEEE Pervasive Computing. We have met numerous times since then at mobile computing conferences, program committees, editorial board meetings, and I have seen Sumi’s professional work in action for ~18 years. While I was Editor-in-Chief (EIC) for IEEE Pervasive Computing 2007-2010, Sumi continued on the board as a department editor. More recently, in 2015 he was appointed EIC for IEEE Computer (IEEE Computer Society’s principal publication), and soon after invited me to be an Area Editor for the nascent field of ‘The Internet of Things’. As a result, I can attest that Sumi has an excellent management style, inspiring members of the board, and at the same time driving us towards a solid plan of action for the future of the publication. Dr. Helal is most deserving of strong recognition for his research contributions. He is one of the most knowledgeable researchers in the field of mobile and ubiquitous computing, with many longstanding contributions in the form of publications and editorials. He also serves, or served, on the editorial boards of numerous journals and IEEE transactions, and readily embraces leadership roles. For, example, two years ago he served as General Chair for ACM MobiCom 2013. This is the flagship mobile computing conference in this field, and being selected for that role is further recognition of his status within the research community. In Sumi’s usual style, he performed with limitless energy, organizing an exceptional program, which resulted in one of the best organized MobiCom conferences for many years; culminating in him receiving the ‘ACM Recognition of Outstanding Service Award’. I am particularly familiar with his volunteer work as editor for IEEE Pervasive Computing (when I served as EIC), producing a stellar department titled ‘Standards and Emerging Technology’, which was well read, indicated by the significant download statistics from the IEEE/CS digital library, and something that I have found both very informative and enjoyable reading over the years. In closing, I strongly endorse Dr. Helal for the position of President Elect of the IEEE Computer Society.
Doris L. Carver
Dow Chemical Distinguished Professor, Division of Computer Science and Engineering, Louisiana State University, IEEE Fellow, AAAS Fellow, Past‐President IEEE Computer Society, Past Editor‐in‐Chief of Computer
Professor Sumi Helal, a long‐time volunteer for the IEEE Computer Society, consistently has shown his commitment to the Society and to the IEEE. I have known him for several years during which I have had the pleasure to work with him on various Society volunteer activities. His Society volunteer activities span many areas, but I write most directly about his contributions to the publications area, the area with which I am the most familiar. He currently is serving as the Chair of the Publications Board Magazine Operations Committee, and he previously served two terms as Editor‐in‐Chief (EIC) of Computer, the Society’s flagship publication. I have had the opportunity to see his exemplary leadership and managerial skills firsthand as a member of Computer’s Advisory Panel during the time he was EIC. As EIC, he provided innovative and visionary leadership, with a focus on addressing the interests of the magazine’s readership through both the publication and its web content. He was effective in leading the Computer Editorial Board to advance his vision while effectively facilitating the expression of ideas and building consensus among Board members. He consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, professionalism and willingness to explore new directions. In addition to his success in advancing his vision for the magazine, he was attentive to the operational details needed by an EIC. His history as a contributing volunteer for the IEEE Computer Society and for the IEEE are evidence of his commitment to advancing both the Society and the IEEE. I am happy to provide this endorsement for Professor Helal for IEEE Computer Society President and am confident as President he will he continue to provide visionary leadership to advance the impact of the IEEE Computer Society.
Wojciech Szpankowski
Saul Rosen Distinguished Professor, Purdue University. Director of the NSF Science and Technology Center
I have known Sumi since 1987 when he came to the Department of Computer Science at Purdue University to pursue a PhD degree. I taught him one class on Numerical Analysis and then later on joined his PhD Committee. Sumi was not my student, nor did he work in my research areas; and he is only one of so many PhD students we educate, supervise and work with at Purdue throughout the years. Yet, despite all the irrelevance, his very distinct personality and unique character kept him special to me personally and to many other faculty members at Purdue. I have kept in touch with him throughout the years and in fact visited him in Lancaster lately where we spend quality time at the Lakes District. I have also worked with Sumi along with Wendy Hall on a special issue for IEEE Computer - the Outlook issue in 2018, on the emergence of the new Web and Information Sciences. Sumi is one of the people who possesses an amazing energizing personality, besides being highly energized himself. His constant smile and positive attitude are unmistakably distinct and make things happens and people approachable. And technically, he is well-recognized and accomplished with a strong publication record as well as a stellar innovation record as evident by the number of startups he launched. In short, he is one Boilermaker Purdue is most proud of. I fully and strongly support his nomination for IEEE President elect and confident he is the unique ingredient the Computer Society needs at this challenging time in its history.
Jeff Voas
Chief Computer Scientist, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Professor Sumi Helal is a scholar and a gentleman. I first met him during his leadership as EIC of Computer. I found him to have exceptional leadership skills and he approached important issues related to the publication with a firm, but mild, manner. I believe that his management style is ideal for being the Computer Society President. I spent 7 years as the President of the IEEE Reliability Society and 2 years as Division 6 director, and I have decent understanding of what it takes to lead volunteers and participate in TAB. Sumi has the qualities that are needed now in the Computer Society, and I gladly endorse him for this next role in the Computer Society.
Mahadev Satyanarayanan
Carnegie Group Professor of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, IEEE Fellow IEEE, ACM Fellow
I am delighted to endorse Sumi Helal for the role of 2020 President Elect of the IEEE Computer Society. He would be a wonderful choice for this role, both on account of his scientific reputation and because of his enthusiasm and dedication to serving our community. He is an IEEE Fellow, a pioneer in digital health, and the leader of a world-class initiative on digital health at Lancaster University. I have known Sumi for over 25 years and have witnessed first-hand on many occasions how deeply committed he is to serving our community. I have also seen how effective he is in numerous roles ranging from program chair, general chair, editorial board member, editor and technical evangelist. I have no doubt whatsoever that, if elected, he would serve in the role of President of the IEEE Computer Society with distinction and honor.
Hal Berghel
Professor of Computer Science, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Column Editor of Computer’s Out-of-Band, and The Aftershock, ACM Fellow.
One of the axioms of life is that one cannot select ones colleagues and supervisors. It is not all that common to have the opportunity to work with and for someone that enjoys near universal respect. From my experience, this was the case with Sumi Helal. I worked as an associate editor and contributing columnist for Computer during Sumi's tenure as Editor-in-Chief and can report without qualification that this was one of the most productive and rewarding experiences of my career. I found his judgment to be consistently unerring - both in terms of editorial decisions and policy issues. I found him to be a man of admirable integrity and enormous energy. He never shied away from tough decisions, and the history of the Computer Society will present his tenure on the right side of history. Sumi is a man of integrity and intellect and I consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to work with him in service to the Computer Society. Sumi recognizes that volunteers are the key driving force behind the value and impact of the Computer Society. Truer words were never spoke as the saying goes, and I can speak authoritatively to the fact that he is uniquely positioned to derive greater value from our volunteer community. He is just the right person to serve as President of our society. I recommend him to you without reservation.
Ike Nassi
Chairman and CTO of TidalScale, and Founding Trustee of the Computer History Museum
I have known Sumi for ten years, starting when I served as Chief Scientist of SAP. I served as a founding member of the IEEE Computer Society’s Industrial Advisory Board. I’ve served on that board for ten years (how time flies!). During that time, I’ve met many talented, committed people who have volunteered to devote their time and energy to the Computer Society as members and as affiliates. Sumi had distinguished himself as one of the most committed and engaged people in this group. In general, some people only come to meetings. Sumi is not one of those. He was very supportive and proactive when I proposed to have a regular column in IEEE Computer Magazine to highlight the industrial perspective to the readership. I arranged for a series of guest authors, who then worked with Sumi to get the articles published and printed. Later, after flunking retirement from SAP, I started TidalScale. I wrote two articles for IEEE Computer Magazine, one of them co-authored with Gordon Bell. This latest one was published in the Outlook (January) issue of 2018, edited by Sumi. It detailed some groundbreaking work Gordon and I started in the 1980’s for DARPA, assisted by CMU Prof. Dan Siewiorek (retired). I fully support Sumi’s candidacy. I think he would be a great addition to the Computer Society.
Stephen Yau
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Arizona State University, IEEE Computer Society President (1974-1975), and Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of IEEE Computer Magazine (1981-1984)
I have known Sumi Helal for about 12 years through his various activities in international conferences, publications, and his leadership roles in the Computer Society. He has not only made outstanding contributions in his research, educational and professional activities, but also shown great insight and vision in improving the Computer Society, especially membership services. He has excellent ideas on how to make the improvements. During the current critical period of the Computer Society, the Computer Society needs a strong and energetic leader with deep understanding of the objective of the Computer Society and its current dynamic environment, as well as excellent ideas to improve the Society by greatly upgrading the vital services for its members. I know Sumi has the talent, character and energy to achieve this goal. I strongly endorse Sumi to be the president of the Computer Society.
Alfred C. Weaver
Professor and Associate Chair of the Computer Science Department, University of Virginia
It was my great pleasure to work with Sumi while he was EIC of Computer magazine. I found our editorial board meetings to be very well organized, and his editorial judgement was superb. Sumi is easy to work with while at the same time he operates as a consummate professional. I thoroughly and without reservation endorse Sumi as our next Computer Society President. He will do a great job and our Society is fortunate to have Sumi as a candidate.
Fahim Kawsar
PhD, Research Director, Pervasive Systems, Nokia Bell Labs, Cambrdige, and Design United Professor of IoT, TU Delft, Netherlands
I have the unique opportunity to know Prof. Sumi Helal personally from the early days of my research career. His remarkable ability to see and lead towards the future certainly has been a beacon of light and helped to shape many computer scientists of our generation. During his stint as the EIC of IEEE Computer, I have worked multiple times under his leadership to construct editorials and organise several academic meetings. In each of these instances, Sumi was terrific in setting the agenda, execution and communication strategies, and carefully monitoring and assessing the progress to lead to success. His ability to bring many diverse individuals towards a collective objective is phenomenal. While he is exceptionally goal-driven, his empathy and integrity make working with him a real pleasure. I do not doubt that Sumi will magnify the impact of IEEE Computer Society substantially. He has my highest endorsement.
Raja Bose
Director, Immersive Experiences, NIO USA
It is with utmost confidence and pleasure that I strongly endorse Dr. Sumi Helal for the role of President, IEEE Computer Society. I have known and worked very closely with Dr. Helal since 2005 when I joined the Mobile & Pervasive Computing Lab at the University of Florida Gainesville, to work on sensor platforms & smart homes. In 2006, we co-founded Pervasa, one of the world's 1st IoT start-ups, which commercialized the Atlas Sensor & Actuator Platform (a product which won the Best of Sensors Expo Silver Award). Dr. Helal is one of those rare individuals who not only comfortably span the worlds of academia and industry but does so with panache and the ability to forge long lasting collaborations and friendships. He is a passionate team builder who leads with a human touch and has consistently been at the forefront of innovation for decades. Dr. Helal is a top-notch technologist and serial entrepreneur with a vast network in industry & academia and has provided yeoman service to the IEEE Computer Society for the past so many years. He served as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Computer from 2015 to 2018 (IEEE Computer won the 2018 Folio: Eddie Award under his watch) and has been serving as a member of the IEEE Computer Society Board of Governors since 2017. He has served as the chair of numerous top conferences in the field of Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing and has been recognized for such efforts by both IEEE and ACM in the form of Outstanding Leadership & Service awards in 2012 and 2013. I strongly believe that Dr. Helal is an excellent choice for President of IEEE Computer Society and his appointment would not only immensely benefit IEEE CS in particular but also IEEE at large.
Naren Ramakrishnan
Thomas L. Phillips Professor of Engineering and Director, Discovery Analytics Center, Virginia Tech
Sumi and I graduated from the same department (CS@Purdue) and while we didn't cross paths then I have had the opportunity to collaborate with him closely in recent times. In particular, I have worked with him closely for 7+ years on IEEE Computer's ed board while he was Associate/EIC. We have collaborated on content acquisition, reviewing, and designing and executing special issues. Behind every issue were a lot of (tough) judgement calls being made and I have seen how Sumi stays on top of them while at the same time being extremely professional to work with. The role he played was time-critical since he was responsible for the overall delivery of the magazine every month and there were constant fires that needed to be managed. Sumi was an excellent bridge between the editorial board and the publishing staff of the IEEE Computer Society. Through this and his other professional activities, Sumi has clearly demonstrated his commitment to the Computer Society and will be an excellent candidate for President Elect. He has my unequivocal support.
Hong MEI
PhD, Professor, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences, Member of the Academia Europaea, and Fellow of IEEE
I have known Sumi for over 12 years since I organized the 2007 IEEE COMPSAC conference in Beijing, where he was one of the keynote speakers. In 2012, when I was the Dean of the School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science at Peking University, I invited Sumi to be a speaker for the school's Distinguished Lecture Series, where he talked about “ICT for a Smarter Planet: Challenges, Enablers, and Opportunities.” In 2015, he participated in the Summer School on Ubiquitous Computing hosted by the School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science at Peking University, by lecturing graduate students on the “Ecosystem Ennoblement of the Internet of Things.” I also worked closely with him in organizing a special issue of IEEE Transaction on Service Computing, which was published recently. Sumi is a world-class researcher and a visionary technologist. He always impresses me with his new and bold research ideas. I very much enjoy working with him and like his positive attitudes and decisive style in getting things done. He is certainly a global figure who is liked and trusted by many from our community in the West and the East alike. I pledge my strongest support for his nomination as the 2020 IEEE Computer Society President-elect.
Dejan Milojicic
PhD, Distinguished Technologist, Hewlett Packard Labs, IEEE President-Elect 2020 Candidate
I have known Prof. Helal for over 20 years, ever since I was chair of the Technical Committee on OS (TCOS) and he was editor of TCOS newsletter. Over the time, I worked with Prof. Helal on a number of paper proposals for IEEE Computer while he was EIC, we were together on the IEEE CS Board and we organized or simply met at numerous conferences. This provides me with a clear knowledge of Prof. Helal’s strengths. Having been IEEE CS president in 2014 and being a candidate for IEEE President this year puts me in the position to evaluate presidential candidates. I strongly believe that Prof. Helal is an excellent candidate and that he would take IEEE CS to the next level for the following reasons. First, being an academic but with substantial entrepreneurial experience and having secured government funding equips him with broad professional perspectives. Second, he is an innovator and will support new products and services to better match the needs of existing and attract new members. Finally, coming from Region 8 originally and having lived and worked in US and Europe provides Prof. Helal with global perspectives which is critical in IEEE CS today. In summary I strongly support Prof. Helal’s nomination, he would be an excellent president.
Tarek Abdelzaher
Professor and Willett Faculty Scholar, Department of Computer Science, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
It is my pleasure to share my strongest endorsement to the candidacy of Prof. Sumi Helal for the 2020 IEEE Computer Society President Elect. Sumi represents the core values of the society! He is an active researcher with key contributions to several areas of computing, including smart homes, digital health, mobile and pervasive computing, navigation, location-based services, and others. He is also an IEEE Fellow and a leader who has done a wonderful job as Editor in Chief of IEEE Computer, and has lead important endeavors from digital health to smart spaces. He is an innovator who developed some of the earlier smart home prototypes (e.g., his project on the Gator Tech Smart House) and received multiple patents for translational research. He is involved in the community as a member of Board of Governors of the IEEE Computer Society. In short, he would be a great shepherd of Society interests and values if elected as the next President.
Avi Mendelson
Professor at Technion, Computer Society Second VP
I have known Prof Sumi Helal for the last 3 years, during the time we serve together as members of the Board of Government (BoG) of the computer society. Throughout this time, I had the chance to appreciate his great management capabilities, his honesty and wisdom for finding out-of-the-box solutions for complicated problems. The computer society has just start to recover from several years of tough economical situation and so this is the time for exploring new markets, new services and to improve the services we are providing to our members. Sumi, is a well-known professor in his field, he is familiar with different cultures and knows variety of languages. I believe that the combination of highly qualified professional, together with honesty, integrity and "knows-how" is what the computer society needs these days, so I strongly support Prof Sumi Helal to become the next president-Elect of the computer society.
Schahram Dustdar
Professor of Computer Science, IEEE Fellow, ACM Distinguished Scientist, Academia Europaea - The Academy of Europe
I worked together with Prof Sumi Helal at IEEE Computer, where Sumi was Editor-in-Chief. During his leadership the IEEE Flagship magazine thrived, and the readership increased. I was deeply impressed by the outstanding leadership of Sumi as well as his management skills. He is a true visionary as well as hands-on manager - a combination, which is very hard to find! He integrates and combines both aspects beautifully and remains a humble person as well as an outstanding leader. I want to express my support for him for the 2020 IEEE Computer Society Presidency without any reservation. Under his leadership the Computer Society will gain significance in times where strengthening an international collaborative spirit is truly needed.
Fabrizio Lombardi
Professor at Northeastern University, Computer Society VP Publications
I have known Prof Sumi Helal for more than a decade; throughout this time I had the chance to appreciate his dedication, honesty and perseverance in setting, pursuing and accomplishing high quality objectives, both within his professional career and volunteer services. Sumi’s research in pervasive/mobile computing and IoT together with his recent investigations in digital health are world-known for impact and originality (as attested by his elevation to IEEE Fellow); his contributions to the IEEE CS span publications (2-term tenure as EIC of Computer Magazine) and governance (Board of Governors). The most striking feature of Sumi’s character is that with a smile he gets things done very well and fast with appreciation of everyone who is involved. Sumi represents the very best for the leadership of the Computer Society. It is with no hesitation and with the uttermost support that I strongly endorse Sumi to become the 2020 President-Elect of the IEEE Computer Society.
Elisa Bertino
Samuel Conte Professor of Computer Science, and Director of the Cyber Space Security Lab, Purdue University
I am delighted to endorse Professor Sumi Helal for the 2020 President Elect of the IEEE Computer Society. I knew Sumi for over 17 years and have interacted with him on many occasions. I also had the opportunity to work with him on several projects, including the IEEE COMPSAC conference organization, conference panels in which we both participated, paper reviews, joint grants, and IEEE Computer Society publications including serving on the same editorial board of IEEE Computer as Associate Editor-in-Chief during Sumi's term as Editor-in-Chief. Over the years Sumi has carried out groundbreaking research has shown a great ability in identifying important emerging technology trends. He works well in teams and always carefully listens to others. It is always a pleasure to work with him. I am very confident that he will provide great leadership to the Computer Society. He is the best individual I can think of to serve the Society during the next few years.
Yuji Oie
President of Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan IEEE CS golden core member
I know Sumi since 2003 and worked closely with his as program and general co-chair of the IEEE/IPSJ International Symposium on Applications and the Internet (SAINT) in 2003 and 2004. His co-chairmanship led the conference to a great success. I confidently endorse Sumi as the president of the IEEE Computer Society. I am certain he will show his strong but warm leadership.
Adel Said Elmaghraby
Chair of the Department of Computer Science, University of Louisville, IEEE-CS Golden Core Member/ Winnia Professor and Director of Industrial Research and Innovation
As a longtime and active member of the society who was involved in a wide variety of activities, I feel confident that I can judge other volunteers. Sumi is an exceptional individual who has a proven record of serving the society and a great leadership skill. He is the right person to move it forward to our next step in a changing global environment.
Paolo Bellavista
Professor of Computer Science, University of Bologna, Italy
I strongly and sincerely believe that anyone who met and interacted with Sumi Helal, even for a limited time, has a terribly vivid memory of the positive and enjoyable energy that Sumi is able to dedicate to scientific/technical passions and to the establishment of fruitful relationships with colleagues in the community. In addition to his undoubtable technical excellence and strong experience in serving for IEEE, I have no doubts at all that he has demonstrated to be and will continue to be a great community leader, capable of listening to and of involving his community of peers, of strongly and enjoyably motivating colleagues to volunteer, and of positively persuading/fascinating a large audience of people. It is really a pleasure and honor for me to have the opportunity of posting my endorsement for Sumi. I interacted with him in different phases of my career. When I was a PhD student, Sumi was a source of inspiration for my work on pervasive mobile computing and it was someway a surprise to see how a celebrated professor as Sumi was able to dedicate time to a young unknown researcher as me: he showed to me how our community can be inclusive and attentive to the professional growth of individuals. Then, when I was associate professor, I had the privilege to host Sumi as a visiting scholar at my University: I’d like to highlight how he was effective in attracting the interest and in creating a network of inter-disciplinary relationships with my colleagues, in a large and general-purpose University such as Bologna. Those sketched elements, related to my personal professional life, are small examples that can give you a clear idea of his attitude and leadership skills. For all those motivations, I have no doubts that Sumi can serve in the prestigious role of President-Elect of the IEEE CS in a tremendously effective way, with great positive effects on the growth of our community, on its visibility, and on its inclusiveness.
Jacky Tian
PhD, Chair of the Board / CEO, BDE Technology Co. Ltd, and Professor, Shandong University
Prof. Sumi Helal has my full endorsement for running for the 2020 IEEE Computer Society President-Elect office. During the past 20 years, I have had the pleasure of experiencing and seeing the great contributions he made to computing systems. He is a knowledgeable mentor to hundreds of students and young researchers. He is a pioneer researcher with hundreds of well cited publications, millions of dollars of grants from NSF, NIH, NIDRR, UK NHS, DARPA, etc. and many academic awards. He is a true entrepreneur who has founded five startups with dozens of innovations. He is great influencer in the research community through an impressive publications and keynotes record, and to the computer industry through a patents portfolio that is highly licensed to multi-national technology giants. He is a long-time IEEE Computer Society volunteer who served as Editor-in-Chief, founding editor, and member of editorial boards for a number of leading IEEE magazines and Journals. He chaired dozens of IEEE and ACM conferences. He is an extraordinary academic leader with a proven record of recognition as evident by his election to Fellow IET, Fellow IEEE, IEEE CS BoG, IEEE CS Golden Core, etc. With his extraordinary leadership, vision, passion and tireless efforts, Prof. Helal will be a great president to lead the computer society to enter a new era.
Moustafa Youssef
Professor, Alexandria University, IEEE Fellow
It gives me great pleasure to endorse Sumi Helal to the position of the IEEE Computer Society President. I have known Sumi for more than 18 years. In addition to being a world-leader in the areas of ubiquitous computing, mobile computing, and healthcare; we worked together on a number of technical activities including serving on the same organizing committee of conferences he led and a recent special issue in the IEEE Computer Magazine where he was the EiC at that time. During this period, I can attest that Sumi combines a number of unique characteristics that make him an excellent candidate for the IEEE Computer Society President, including high technical recognition in the field, experience in leadership of different IEEE Computer Society positions, experience as both an established academic and entrepreneur, and activities spanning different IEEE regions. In short, I highly support him to become the next IEEE Computer Society President elect.
Erich Neuhold
Prof. of Computer Science at TU Vienna, NJIT, Univ. of Stuttagrt, Univ. Of Darmstadt; Director of Fraunhofer Institute IPSI, HP Labs; Fellow IEEE, GI; Chair IEEE CAC
I have known Prof. Sumi Helal for many years and I have always kept him in highest regards as a Scientist, Manager and Volunteer. His publications are widely cited and he has an outstanding international reputation. We have never worked together in research but were closely involved in conference, workshop and seminar organizations. I was also member of his Editorial Board at the Computer Magazine. His excellent organizational talents have been shown both in running his labs but also in his volunteer work for IEEE. I believe, with his vast experience he will be an outstanding president of the Computer Society and I fully endorse his candidacy. Reading his positions statement. I am sure he will continue to execute changes to the Society that will keep us as the leading organization in our field for both, scientists and practitioners.
Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb
IEEE Fellow, Professor and Chair, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Miami
I have known Dr. Sumi Helal for many decades since he was an undergraduate student. He has always been a role model to his colleagues. Sumi is a very accomplished researcher and leader. He enjoys serving and he consistently shows wisdom and ability to take sound decisions. I strongly endorse him to be the next president of the IEEE Computer Society.
Jean-Marc Jezequel
Professor at Université de Rennes, Director of the Institut de Recherche en Informatique et Systèmes Aléatoires (IRISA), Rennes, France. Associate Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Computer
I first have known Professor Sumi Helal by professional reputation, as a leading scientist in Computer Science. Then I had the actual pleasure to work closely with him when I became Associate Editor of IEEE Computer, first when he was Associate EIC and then even more when he became EIC. During these years and specifically during the 4 years he was EIC, I really enjoyed working with him for his scientific rigor, vision and leadership were key in making IEEE Computer the successful venue it is now. I have full confidence in his leadership, and I am sure he will be a great Computer Society president.
Daqing Zhang
Chair Professor, Peking University/Telecom SudParis, France, IEEE Fellow
Prof. Sumi Helal has been a world leader in pervasive computing, mobile computing and Internet-of-things, he has made significant contributions to IEEE Computer Society by serving as EiC and AE for a number of leading IEEE magazine and Journals, by organising dozens of conferences and workshops, by mentoring hundreds of young researchers and students worldwide, and by giving keynote and invited talks in a great number of events and organizations. With his extraordinary leadership, experience, dedication and vision, he would be the perfect candidate for IEEE Computer Society President.
Katsuyuki Yamazaki
Emeritus Professor at Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan. Golden Core member of the IEEE Computer Society
I have been working with Professor Sumi Helal for a long time, particularly as a core member of IEEE Computer Society Signature Conference, COMPSAC. Professor Sumi Helal’s great contribution makes COMPSAC and IEEE Computer Society a prominent and distinguished community of the world. Professor Sumi Helal deserves to be President of IEEE Computer Society.
Abdul Hanan Abdullah
Professor, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Malaysia
Prof. Sumi Helal is a leading researcher in the area of pervasive computing and has published numerous quality papers in high impact journals and conferences. He is a long-time IEEE Computer Society volunteer and has served on numerous editorial boards including as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Computer. I had the opportunity to host Sumi during his stay at UTM in 2013. He was then invited as a distinguished visiting professor by the university. I have tremendous respect for his vast experience in research and entrepreneurship, his passion for knowledge and innovation, and his excellent communication skills. He possesses the leadership qualities that one would expect from a President elect. I strongly endorse Prof Sumi Helal to become the 2020 President-Elect of the IEEE Computer Society.
Zhiwen Yu
Professor, Northwestern Polytechnical University
Prof. Sumi Helal is a leading researcher in the area of ubiquitous computing, mobile computing, and healthcare. He has published a large number of high-quality papers in referred journals and conferences. He founded and directed the Gator Tech Smart House – a real-world deployment to identify key barriers and opportunities to making the Smart Home concept a common place. He has served as volunteer for IEEE Computer Society for many years. He served as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Computer (2015-2018). He chaired over 25 conferences including 12 IEEE-sponsored. He was chair of the IEEE CS Technical Committee on the Internet (2000-2003). He serves as member of IEEE CS Board of Governors since 2017, and currently chairs the Publications Board’s Magazine Operations Committee. I have known him for 7 years since he visited Xian to attend the IEEE UIC conference and have been following his work and activities within the Computer Society. He certainly possesses the leadership qualities that one would come to expect from a President elect. I highly support his nomination for this important post.
Choonhwa Lee
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Hanyang University, Korea
It is my great pleasure to endorse Prof. Sumi Helal for the next IEEE Computer Society President-Elect. Among others, he is a person of passion about the profession of computer science and its impact on people. His outgoing and lively personality has always attracted the brightest minds in the field, regardless of nationality and background. I have been deeply impressed with his ability to pull together individuals with different opinions and viewpoints to work as a team. From his knowledge and dedication to the IEEE Computer Society to date, along with his caring and positive personality, I strongly believe that he will make a successful president who could offer the leadership and motivation for the society.
Qinghua Lu
Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO, Australia
It is my greatest pleasure to endorse Prof. Sumi Helal for the role of the 2020 IEEE Computer Society President. I’ve known Prof. Helal since 2013 and had the honor of working with him for four years. I have developed enormous respect for his expertise, enthusiasm, leadership and communication skills. Sumi is always willing to provide guidance and support to colleagues, particularly early career researchers. It has been a privilege to know such a brilliant and dedicated scientist. Prof. Helal is an excellent candidate for this role. He is a long-time IEEE Computer Society volunteer and has served on numerous editorial boards and conference organizations. He has led a number of research centers and co-founded several technology startups. I strongly believe that the IEEE Computer Society will greatly benefit from Prof. Helal's innovative leadership.
Sven Groppe
Professor, University of Lübeck
I strongly endorse Prof. Sumi Helal for the 2020 IEEE Computer Society President Elect. He regularly presents his great contributions on our Very Large Internet of Things (VLIoT) workshop series. His presentations are always very interesting and enjoyable, explaining deep insights of his research contributions, such that we invite him this year as keynote speaker. According to DBLP, he published already over 200 key contributions over several decades in different areas like database systems (e.g., transactions, data management, parallel, distributed and mobile databases, replication), distributed and mobile systems and networks, pervasive computing, Cloud Computing and Internet Of Things. His scientific services include chairing over 20 conferences and he is the editor of several journals. Overall he is a full-fledged researcher with expertises spanning over several areas, such that he is the ideal candidate as the 2020 IEEE Computer Society President.
M. Tamer Ozsu
University Professor, University of Waterloo
I have known Sumi since he was a PhD student in late 1980's working in the Distributed Database area and have followed his career and admired his numerous accomplishments. He has been a tireless volunteer within the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society and has undertaken significant activities. He is a well-published and a leading researcher in the areas of digital health, and pervasive and mobile computing. The position of IEEE Computer Society President is needy of a person with Sumi's broad technical vision. Given his numerous accomplishment and impressive volunteer work, I pledge my support for his candidacy to the position of the IEEE Computer Society President Elect.
Edwin Hernandez
PhD, President and CEO, ELGA Corp, EGLAVATOR
Dr. Helal will be great for the IEEE Computer Society given his combination of academics, research, teaching, and entrepreneurship experience, all in one package. Dr. Helal also understands patents and intellectual property, plus all innovation trends in many fields from wireless, to cloud, to IOT, and health tech. I endorse him for President of the IEEE Computer Society.
Ron Vetter
Professor of Computer Science, University of North Carolina Wilmington; Editor-in-Chief Emeritus IEEE Computer, 2011-2014
I have known Dr. Helal for many years. He is an established researcher, academic leader and the ultimate consummate professional. Sumi has a proven track record of accomplishments in the IEEE Computer Society and would be an excellent choice for the next president. I strongly support his candidacy.
Catherine Ferguson
BA, MBA, LNHA, Vice President of Praxeis
I have been affiliated with Dr. Helal since 2008 through the UF Gator Smart House at Oak Hammock at The University of Florida. I gladly endorce Sumi for the 2021 IEEE President. He is highly qualified for the position.
Ahmed Helmy
Professor, Graduate Director, University of Florida, IEEE Fellow, ACM Distinguished Scientist
I have known Professor Sumi Helal for over 13 years, as a colleague at the University of Florida, and as a leader in many local and international professional organizations, most notably IEEE. I would like to provide my strongest and unreserved support for his candidacy to the IEEE Computer Society President. Prof. Helal has the right set of characteristics that I believe every IEEE president should possess. First, he is a very well established researcher in the areas of pervasive and ubiquitous computing, smart spaces, digital health and the Internet of Things (IoT). Along with his group, he has had a consistent track record of high impact publications, and recognition from the professional society. He is an IEEE Fellow, and has several awards for his research from leading organizations and conferences in the field. Second, he has shown his commitment to serve the computing community in several leading capacities. For several years, he served as the Editor in Chief (EiC) for IEEE Computer. I have been fortunate to also work closely with Prof. Helal on several committees and organization bodies, including ACM MobiCom, the most prestigious conference in the mobile networking and computing field. He acted as the Chair of ACM MobiCom, and with his amazing ability to pay attention to details, provided one of the best editions of that conference (running for over 20 years now). He earned multiple recognition awards for leadership and services from IEEE and ACM. Third, he has a clear vision for the future of computing and its societal impacts. His ideas reflect a deep understanding and awareness of timely issues in research and computer engineering practice. Moreover, given his entrepreneurial background, he has acquired unique skills to bridge the gap between research and industry; a skill set the I would consider a huge plus. Furthermore, as a person, Sumi is very well-liked and admired by colleagues and students alike. It is indeed rare to find someone with very high scientific qualifications, yet has the ability and willingness to serve and lead in an effective manner. I strongly believe that Prof. Helal would be a great asset to the IEEE community in the capacity of the IEEE Computer Society President.
Solom Heddaya
Sr Partner, Architect, Microsoft Azure
Sumi kept a sizable “notebook of inventions” as a high school student! I was asked to comment on it as an engineering student, and thought it was very creative. Since then, Sumi’s life embodied the same wide-ranging creative curiosity that should serve the Computer Society well. His energy is infectious—he convinced me to co-author a monograph on replication techniques in distributed systems (Kluwer, 1996), which led me to survey the field of data replication and understand its limitations deeply. As an associate editor of IEEE Computer, he pulled me to share my concerns about the parallel computing industry in an article about economic scalability (Computer, 2002). Sumi has the ability to solicit, encourage, and shepherd contributions to the industry that might not otherwise have happened. In my opinion, this is precisely the role of a professional society, and Sumi has embodied this spirit consistently in my own professional life. Given his long and wide-ranging service record, I have no doubt that he will carry this into the role of Computer Society President. I wholeheartedly endorse him.
Mina Jean Hanna
Chair, IEEE-USA Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems Policy Committee
I have known Dr. Helal during his tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Computer Magazine - the flagship publication of Computer Society, while I was a member of the editorial board. He has been tireless, tenacious and persistent as EIC of Computer. He served his tenure amid a time of significant challenges for the magazine (conversion to electronic distribution, a tighter budget and cuts to editorial staff). Suffice it to say that, his mastery in navigating those times while managing to bring back Computer Mag's readership and appeal among IEEE readers and beyond, while also positioning the magazine to tackle new fronts (like technology and public policy and ethics), is nothing short of heroic and indicative for his adroitness and great skill for managing large teams and large organizations - not to mention his eye for the future and strategic management. Dr. Helal's academic research record is well known, and positions him as a lead expert and a visionary in database systems (e.g., transactions, data management, parallel, distributed and mobile databases), IoT and Cloud Computing, distributed and mobile systems and networks, and pervasive computing - with 200 key literary contributions (12503 citations to date), a dozen plus IEEE Computer conference chairmanships and 5 technology startups. In addition to his service record to the Computer Society - where he now serves as member of IEEE CS Board of Governors since 2017, and as chair the Publications Board’s Magazine Operations Committee. With Dr. Helal combination of tenacity in leadership, veracity and dedication to the mission of Computer Society, skill in leading in tough times, and his futuristic strategic vision, I can not think of any better candidate to take on the rails and lead the Society for the next 2 years as President. I fully endorse Dr. Helal's candidacy and I look forward to the future of the Society under his guidance.
Ossama Ismail
Prof., Dean, Regional Informatics Center- Arab Academy Science and Technology, RCD, Africa and Arab Collegiate Programming Contest
I have known Professor Sumi Helal for more than 38 years, as an undergraduate student, and as a friend. I believe that his exceptional abilities and charming personality make him the perfect candidate for the IEEE Computer Society President.
Ahmed Abukmail
Associate Professor of Computer Science, and Computer Science Program Chair, University of Houston-Clear Lake
It gives me a great pleasure to endorse Dr. Sumi Helal for IEEE Computer Society President. I have known Dr. Helal since 2002 when I was his Ph.D. student at the University of Florida. I have seen how he works, he is a highly knowledgeable, dedicated to his profession individual. His teaching and research track records speak for themselves. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in highly respectable journals and conferences that relate to his research areas in IoT, Mobile Computing, Pervasive Computing, Assistive Technology, and Distributed Computing. Dr. Helal's efforts to promote and advance the field of computer science did not stop at research and teaching. Since I have known him, I noticed that he views service to the discipline as paramount. His track record of service to the field of computer science is impeccable as he contributed to the organization and the ultimate success of many computer science related journals and conferences regardless of his role in them, which are mostly leadership roles. His work ethic, leadership skills, combined with a pleasant personality makes it easy for him to work with others and makes it easy and pleasant for others to work with him. As President of IEEE Computer Society, it is without a doubt that his valuable leadership is going to benefit the society as a whole.