January 22, 2025
By Patricia Waldron
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named Nate Foster, professor of computer science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, a 2024 Fellow for his "contributions to applications of programming languages to networking."
Foster is among 55 fellows who ACM selected from its membership this year. His research focuses on developing languages and tools that enable programmers to build secure and reliable systems. Currently, his group is designing and implementing domain-specific languages for programming computer networks. This approach streamlines network management and improves network reliability by enabling formal verification of correctness properties.
Founded in 1947, the ACM is the largest and most prestigious society of computing professionals. Its ACM Fellows program recognizes the top 1% of members for their outstanding accomplishments in computing and information technology research and for outstanding service to the society and the computing community at large.
“The ACM Fellows program honors the creativity and hard work of ACM members whose specific accomplishments drive innovation and make broader advances possible," said Yannis Ioannidis, the ACM president. "In announcing a new class of fellows each year, we celebrate the impact some of our community’s pioneers make, and highlight the many technical areas of computing in which they work.”
Previously, Foster received the Robin Milner Young Researcher Award, a Sloan Research Fellowship, an NSF CAREER Award, the SIGCOMM Rising Star Award, a Tien ‘72 Teaching Award, the Morris and Dorothy Rubinoff Award, and Research Excellence Awards from both Cornell Bowers CIS and Cornell Engineering.
Foster completed his Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, his M.Phil. in history and philosophy of science from Cambridge University, and his B.A. in computer science from Williams College.
Patricia Waldron is a writer for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.