Google has inaugurated the ML and Systems Junior Faculty Award, and CS professors Daniel Kang, Charith Mendis and Minjia Zhang from The Grainger College of Engineering Siebel School of Computing and Data Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have each received awards. 

Google created the nomination-based award to recognize the significance and promise of the work being undertaken by young faculty members. Kang was noted for his research in ML and Data, Mendis for his research in ML Compiler Optimization, and Zhang for his work in Highly Efficient ML Systems.

(l to r) Daniel Kang,  Charith Mendis and Minjia Zhang(l to r) Daniel Kang,  Charith Mendis and Minjia Zhang

A group of Google engineers and researchers selected more than 50 professors from 27 U.S. universities who are leading the analysis, design, and implementation of efficient, scalable, secure, and trustworthy computing systems. Their work crosses the technology stack, from algorithms to software and hardware, enabling machine learning and cloud computing at increasingly massive scale. The award includes $100,000 in unrestricted gift funding to support future research and an invitation to participate in a symposium with fellow award winners.

Kang wrote on X that the award is, “A welcome surprise in these uncertain times. Expect to see more from our lab soon.” Google recognized his work in ML and Data.

Zhang says, “I’m definitely thrilled and deeply honored to receive this award. It is a recognition of our work by leaders in both ML and system research at Google. I’m also excited about the potential collaboration this opens up.” Writing about his work, he says that, “the award supports my lab’s research on building highly efficient ML systems in both data centers and scientific supercomputers.”

Mendis shared the sentiment, saying, “I am thrilled to receive this award, and it showcases the importance of thinking foundationally about ML compilers. I am excited about future collaborations with the XLA compiler team. This award will support my research on building both correct and performant compilers for Machine Learning  workloads.”

Amin Vahdat, Google VP/GM, ML, Systems & Cloud AI, wrote, “We are very excited to see the breakthroughs the next generation of faculty will deliver in the years ahead. We know they will help invent the future and mentor the next generation of talented students, many of whom will become faculty members on their own, start new companies or populate startups and large companies alike.”

Grainger Engineering Affiliations

Daniel Kang is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor of computer science and is affiliated with electrical and computer engineering.

Charith Mendis is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor of computer science.

Minjia Zhang is an Illinois Grainger Engineering professor of computer science.