'Data-heavy environments' characterizes our world perhaps like no other three-word combination can. Today it was announced that two Franklin College faculty members have received NSF Career Awards to support their work on the efficient management of large quantities of data:

University of Georgia researchers Daniel Krashen and Roberto Perdisci recently received National Science Foundation CAREER Awards to create nimble ways to analyze mathematical problems and combat computer viruses in data-heavy environments. The two will also conduct workshops and lead mentoring activities to develop student interest and skills in these fields.

“The success of professors Krashen and Perdisci in winning prestigious NSF CAREER Awards underscores the very high quality faculty UGA has hired in recent years,” said Charles Kutal, director of the Office of STEM Education at UGA who serves as associate dean and chemistry professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “It also demonstrates the commitment of these individuals not only to undertake cutting-edge research, but also to engage in instructional and outreach activities that help to prepare the next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians.”

Krashen, an assistant professor of mathematics in Franklin College who specializes in algebraic geometry, will use his award of $462,284 to refine a method he developed with two colleagues that assigns geometric shapes to complex algebraic systems called function fields. The method, called field patching, uses the tools of topology—an area of mathematics concerned with describing shapes—to  more easily scrutinize the properties of equations in function fields.

Perdisci, assistant professor of computer science in the Franklin College, will use his award of $402,601 over the next five years to create programs that automatically learn how to identify computers within a network that are infected with malicious software, or malware.

NSF Career Awards are a bit of a misnomer to those outside of academia, as they sound as if they are given at the pinnacle of a professional career. They are actually crucial early-career support for young researchers to build their labs, fund their research groups and establish themselves in their respective fields. It's a visionary concept from the National Science Foundation, one that puts young researchers in a position to succeed.  Since the program was established in 1994, 21 Franklin College professor have received the award. Congratulations to Krashen and Perdisci for joining this illustrious group.