Atul Prakash named chair of Computer Science and Engineering

June 21, 2024 – Professor Atul Prakash has been selected as the next Richard H. Orenstein Division Chair of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at the University of Michigan. His appointment is effective July 1, 2024.

Prakash, who has been on the CSE faculty since 1989, is an expert in the areas of security policy management, software infrastructure to support collaborative work, privacy in pervasive computing, intrusion detection, group security, and operating systems security. His work on group and distributed document editors in the early 1990s helped to pave the way for applications such as Google Docs. In the late 1990s, Prakash built on this to conduct research into enabling Internet-based collaboratories to support team science. Recognizing the emerging challenges related to security and privacy, he refocused his efforts in the 2000s on how to make these collaboratories secure and safe for users. More recently, he has worked on the security of IoT devices, digital transaction systems, smart home systems, and trustworthy machine learning.

Prakash’s teaching has included courses in Operating Systems, Database Management Systems, Computer Security, and Adversarial Machine Learning. For the past four years, he has served as Senior Associate Chair for the CSE Division. 

“Atul’s wide range of academic and research achievements, focus on inclusivity, and dedication to service will serve the Division and the College well as he steps forward as the next Richard H. Orenstein Division Chair of Computer Science and Engineering,” said Steve Ceccio, interim dean of Michigan Engineering.

“It’s an honor for me to serve the CSE faculty, staff, and students,” Prakash said. “This is both an exciting and a challenging time, as emerging advances in computing impact society in all walks of life. At the same time, I consider it important to ensure access to and inclusiveness in our field so that diverse perspectives help influence those advances positively.  CSE has a significant role to play in shaping the future of computing, and I’m ready to help the Division achieve its vision.”