{"682602":{"#nid":"682602","#data":{"type":"news","title":"ISyE Assistant Professor Debankur Mukherjee Receives ACM SIGMETRICS Rising Star Research Award","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EH. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE)\u003C\/a\u003E proudly celebrates Assistant Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/debankur-mukherjee\u0022\u003EDebankur Mukherjee\u003C\/a\u003E, who has been named the 2025 recipient of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sigmetrics.org\/awards.shtml#:~:text=The%20ACM%20SIGMETRICS%20Rising%20Star,of%20computer%20and%20communication%20performance.\u0022\u003EACM SIGMETRICS Rising Star Research Award\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPresented annually, this prestigious award recognizes exceptional early-career researchers whose work is shaping the future of computer systems performance evaluation. Mukherjee will be honored at the upcoming ACM SIGMETRICS \/ IFIP Performance Conference, taking place June 9\u201313, 2025, at Stony Brook University in New York.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe joins a distinguished cohort of previous awardees including Devavrat Shah (MIT), Adam Wierman (Caltech), and Kuang Xu (Stanford), whose pioneering contributions have helped shape modern approaches in systems performance and algorithmic design.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEfficient. Scalable. Provable.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EThree words that encapsulate the core of Mukherjee\u2019s research. Drawing on techniques from probability theory, optimization, and machine learning, his work focuses on building efficient algorithms for large-scale, uncertain systems, including data centers, cloud networks to complex service infrastructures.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis contributions are recognized not only for their deep theoretical insight, but also for their practical relevance in operational settings where scalability and performance guarantees are essential.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis award is an incredible honor,\u201d said Mukherjee. \u201cIt signals that the kinds of questions I\u2019ve been drawn to are resonating with the broader research community. It also reinforces the importance of building rigorous, theory-backed approaches to tackle modern computing challenges.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPushing Boundaries, Bridging Foundations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003ELooking ahead, Mukherjee sees the Rising Star Award as a launching point for deeper and bolder scientific exploration. \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u201c[This recognition] gives me renewed motivation to pursue problems rooted in technical depth, with the goal of achieving long-term significance, and greater confidence to take bolder risks in research directions that may not yet have a clear roadmap.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom Mathematical Curiosity to Systemic Impact\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EMukherjee\u2019s research journey began with a fascination for the interplay between mathematical structure and real-world complexity.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn his research group at Georgia Tech, he confronted a long-standing open problem concerning mean-field approximations in systems with graph-constrained agent interactions a challenge that had resisted resolution for decades. By developing new tools including probabilistic coupling techniques and graph-expansion-based structural conditions, he was able to rigorously characterize system performance and provide scalable design principles.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis work not only led to significant improvements in data center operations but also earned the SIGMETRICS Best Paper Award.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis current projects continue to break new ground, particularly at the intersection of online optimization and machine learning, where he designs algorithms that adapt to untrusted predictions while remaining robust in unpredictable environments.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAcknowledging Mentorship and Collaboration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EMukherjee credits much of his growth to the mentorship and collaboration he\u2019s experienced throughout his career. He expressed deep gratitude to his Ph.D. advisors, Sem Borst and Johan van Leeuwaarden, for instilling in him a first-principles approach to research. He also highlights the contributions of his students\u2014Daan Rutten, Zhisheng Zhao, and Neelkamal Bhuyan\u2014whose creativity has fueled many successful projects. Lastly, he acknowledges his colleagues at ISyE for fostering an environment where collaboration, rigor, and innovation are actively nurtured.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Message for the Next Generation of Systems Engineers\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003ETo Ph.D. students and junior researchers: \u201cFocus on questions that genuinely interest you, even if they don\u2019t align perfectly with what is currently most popular. Some of the most meaningful problems take time and patience. Build depth early as it gives one the flexibility to explore new areas later. Most importantly, find a community that values curiosity and honesty.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAssistant Professor Debankur Mukherjee of Georgia Tech\u2019s ISyE has been honored with the 2025 ACM SIGMETRICS Rising Star Research Award for his groundbreaking work on scalable algorithms and performance evaluation in complex systems, a recognition highlighting his profound impact on both theory and practice.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Debankur Mukherjee will be recognized at the conference, for his impactful work on scalable algorithms and complex systems. "}],"uid":"36284","created_gmt":"2025-05-30 14:51:07","changed_gmt":"2025-06-10 18:33:49","author":"chenriquez8","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-06-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677158":{"id":"677158","type":"image","title":"Debankur Mukherjee","body":null,"created":"1748616672","gmt_created":"2025-05-30 14:51:12","changed":"1748616672","gmt_changed":"2025-05-30 14:51:12","alt":"ISyE Assistant Professor Debankur Mukherjee","file":{"fid":"261027","name":"Debankur.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/30\/Debankur.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/30\/Debankur.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1639760,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/30\/Debankur.png?itok=FByQwsGw"}},"677209":{"id":"677209","type":"image","title":"Debankur Mukherjee","body":null,"created":"1749580409","gmt_created":"2025-06-10 18:33:29","changed":"1749580409","gmt_changed":"2025-06-10 18:33:29","alt":"Debankur Mukherjee","file":{"fid":"261084","name":"IMG_0238.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/06\/10\/IMG_0238.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/06\/10\/IMG_0238.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1667928,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/06\/10\/IMG_0238.jpeg?itok=FyIf8eDt"}}},"media_ids":["677158","677209"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/users\/debankur-mukherjee","title":"Debankur Mukherjee"}],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"},{"id":"1243","name":"The Supply Chain and Logistics Institute (SCL)"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EErin Whitlock Brown, Communications Manager\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}