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AMES, Iowa – Gianfranco Ciardo, professor and former vice chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California at Riverside, will become the next chair of the ISU Department of Computer Science, an academic department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Gianfranco Ciardo

Ciardo becomes chair effective Jan. 2, 2014, and succeeds Johnny Wong, professor of computer science, who has served as interim chair since July 1, 2013. Prior to Wong, Carl Chang, professor of computer science, had served as chair since August 2002.

“We are very pleased to have Gianfranco Ciardo join the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” said Dean Beate Schmittmann. “My office and I are committed to working with Dr. Ciardo to continue to grow the excellence of the Department of Computer Science across all areas of its activities – research, teaching and engagement.”

Wolfgang Kliemann, professor of mathematics, chaired the search committee. “This search produced a large number of excellent candidates, among whom Gianfranco Ciardo stood out because of his experience, his dedication to research and teaching, and his forward looking vision for the Department of Computer Science,” Kliemann said.

Ciardo has worked for more than 20 years in the areas of computer performance and reliability evaluation. He has conducted research in the area of Petri nets, which are mathematical modeling languages, and in recent years he has moved his focus toward software verification and model checking.

He received his Ph.D. in computer science from Duke University in 1989 and a Laurea degree in computer science from the University of Torino, Italy, in 1982.

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About Liberal Arts and Sciences
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is a world-class learning and research community. Iowa State’s most academically diverse college, LAS educates students to become global citizens, providing rigorous academic programs in the sciences, humanities and social sciences within a supportive personalized learning environment. College faculty design new materials, unravel biological structures, care for the environment, and explore social and behavioral issues. From fundamental research to technology transfer and artistic expression, the college supports people in Iowa and around the world.

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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University

Contacts:
Gianfranco Ciardo, Computer Science, (ciardo@iastate.edu)
Laura Wille, Liberal Arts & Sciences Communications, (515) 294-7742, (lge@iastate.edu)