Two research scientists in the School of Computer Science (SCS) have been promoted. Pak Ho (Simon) Chung  is now a research scientist II, and Jeffrey Young became a senior research scientist.

“These promotions recognize the critical roles Simon and Jeff play in the school’s research in computer security, systems, and architecture,” SCS Chair Lance Fortnow said.

Chung joined SCS in August 2011 as a postdoctoral fellow. He is  known for his cybersecurity expertise in Android attacks. In 2017, his research team discovered a highly practical Android attack called Cloak and Dagger, an app that controls a user interface loop and takes over the device.

“The promotion is a very welcomed acknowledgment and encourages me to be more active in shaping our research direction at the stage of writing funding proposals,” Chung said.

After completing his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Young became a research scientist II in SCS focusing on accelerator scheduling and data movement, and modeling and mapping algorithms to high-performance architectures. Young has also been an active member in SCS’s Center for Research into Novel Computing Hierarchies (CRNCH), where he co-leads the Rogues Gallery of unique hardware.

“Over the next few years, I look forward to continuing my work with graduate students in the areas of high performance computing, novel architectures, and algorithms,” Young said. “I also hope to continue extending our development of the Rogues Gallery testbed and related Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) class for undergraduate students.”