World Champion Austria Computer science
Austrian heads global computer association Computer scientist Gabriele Kotsis of the JKU was elected president of the Association for Computing Machinery.
Photo: Gebhart de Koekkoek
Starting on 1 July 2020, Professor Gabriele Kotsis, computer scientist at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz (JKU) will serve as head of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ACM is the world’s largest scientific computer society, bringing together computer scientists at companies, in academia and in the educational sector from around the globe. One of the ACM’s best-known activities is organising the Turing Award, the highest recognition for computer scientists. It is comparable to the Nobel Prize or the highest scientific recognition for mathematicians, the Fields Medal. Kotsis’ opposing candidate was Google Vice-President Elisabeth Churchill. Gabriele Kotsis considers being elected president as international recognition for computer sciences at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz and remarked: “Just being nominated was a great, very unexpected honour. My opponent at Google is very well-known and I did not have high expectations. This is all the more reason to be thrilled that I, a JKU scientist and Austrian, will be the first non-Anglo-American president.” JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas also believes Kotsis’ election confirms the JKU’s forward-thinking strategies: “Trailblazers move away from comfortable and familiar paths in order to forge new paths. At the JKU, we support the courage and willingness to think outside of the box and bring about innovation. This environment and a constant willingness to innovate creates people
like Gabriele Kotsis who have a formative influence beyond this country’s borders.” During her term as president, Kotsis wants to focus more on the know-how and expertise of the ACM members. “No other area has more influence to shape the coming times and future technologies,” the JKU researcher emphasises. “Worldwide problems must be tackled globally and independent from individual interests. Whether it’s climate change, medical research, or preserving democracy: the ACM has the potential to be an ethical pioneer in all areas of computer science.” ◆
About Professor Gabriele Kotsis Born in 1967, Gabriele Kotsis studied business informatics in Vienna, also earning her doctorate degree there with distinction. She has been at the JKU since 2002, heading the Institute for Telecooperation. Gabriele Kotsis also served as Vice-Rector for Research between 2007 and 2015. As a founding member of ACM Europe, she has received numerous awards for her research, including the „femtech Expert / Researcher of the Month“ and the Heinz Zemanek Award of the Austrian Computer Society for outstanding scientific research in the fields of computer science and related disciplines.
