Alex Szalay named a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor

Alex Szalay, Director of IDIES, is one of four named Bloomberg Distinguished Professors.

The prestigious endowed Bloomberg Distinguished Professorships were established with a landmark gift by alumnus Michael R. Bloomberg. Like the six scholars who were named to the program in 2014, Alex and his co-awardees Arturo Casadevall, Christopher Chute, and Steven Salzberg embody the ambitious goals of this effort: to bring together a group of 50 extraordinary cross-disciplinary scholars, empower them to serve as human bridges between our divisions, and entrust them with training future scholars, who will bring a depth and breadth of knowledge across disciplines to the pursuit of groundbreaking ideas.

Alexander Szalay has broken new ground in the use of big data to advance scientists’ understanding of astronomy, physical science, and life sciences. As the founding director of the Institute for Data Intensive Engineering and Science, he and his team’s methods are helping Johns Hopkins become a leader in the world of high-performance computing. Alex’s collaboration on a scientific database for astronomy led to similar collaborations, and his technologies have provided the platform for big data analysis across disciplines, including radiation oncology and genetics. He is on the faculties of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering.

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