Beyond Overload: Rethinking Reliability in Cloud Systems
Imagine you are at a restaurant, and you see that there are only 10 tables available, but there’s a line of almost 50 people out the door. You later learn that the restaurant has only 20 cups and 20 bowls and cannot efficiently serve all the guests, no matter how well it manages its seating […]
Hariri Director and CISE Faculty Affiliate Ioannis Paschalidis Inducted Into 2026 AIMBE College of Fellows
On April 13, 2026, Hariri Director and CISE Faculty Affiliate Ioannis Paschalidis was inducted into the 2026 AIMBE College of Fellows. This American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering peer-elected membership is among the highest professional distinctions in the field. Paschalidis is a distinguished professor of engineering (electrical & computer engineering, systems engineering, biomedical engineering), […]
From Selfish Driving to Social Optimality: Insights from a “Nature” Interview with Professor Christos Cassandras
In the modern urban landscape, driving is fundamentally “selfish.” Each driver chooses a route based on personal convenience, often leading to traffic congestion. Distinguished Professor of Engineering, Head of the Division of Systems Engineering, and CISE Faculty Affiliate Christos Cassandras (ECE, SE) is proposing a solution to this problem—transforming cities into integrated “cyber-physical systems” in […]
CISE Director Ayse Coskun Featured in BU Brink Q&A on Revamping US Semiconductor Production
The global competition for dominance in the semiconductor industry is a top national priority. In a compelling Q&A with The Brink, CISE Director Ayse Coskun (ECE, SE) discusses the goals of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act and how Boston University is uniquely positioned to help reclaim the country’s lead in chip technology. Professor Coskun […]
Ajay Joshi Wins NSF Award to Build Light-Powered Chips for Next-Gen AI
Artificial intelligence is becoming part of everyday life, powering everything from chatbots to image generators. But behind the scenes, running these massive AI models takes an enormous amount of computer power and electricity. Professor Ajay Joshi (ENG, ECE) is tackling this problem by designing a new type of computer chip that uses not only electronics […]
Unraveling the Hidden Biases of Artificial Intelligence
For years, Boston University computer scientist and CISE faculty affiliate Professor Mark Crovella (CDS, CS, ECE, SE) has studied the invisible forces shaping what we see online. The stakes are high: when YouTube’s recommendation system steers users toward more extreme videos, it can fuel polarization and misinformation. Now, with large language models generating instant answers, […]
Lei Tian Named Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year for Innovative Teaching and Research
Boston University engineering professor Lei Tian, a faculty affiliate of the Center for Information and Systems Engineering (CISE), has been named the 2025 Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year. The award, which includes a $5,000 stipend, honors faculty who excel both as researchers and as teachers. Tian, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, emphasizes […]
Director Ayse Coskun Featured in BU Brink for her Research on Power Grids
CISE Director and Professor Ayse Coskun (ECE, SE) was featured in the BU Brink for her research on the relationship between electric grids and data centers. The article, “Is AI Slowing Climate Progress? It’s Complicated,” highlights the growing energy demand created by data centers, as well as AI’s potential to work with power grid through a […]
Transforming Data Centers into Grid-Responsive Powerhouses
As AI continues its explosive growth, so does its energy demand, pushing the U.S. electric grid toward its limits. With the rise of increasingly complex AI models and cloud-based applications, data centers are becoming power-hungry giants. Projected to use up to 9% of U.S. power by 2030, data centers increasingly strain the grid, threatening the […]
Privacy Meets AI: Enabling Data Center Collaboration to Support Grid Stability
On May 19th, 2025, the Boston University Hariri Institute hosted the Focused Research Program (FRP) symposium titled “Data Center and Power Grid Interactions: Challenges and Opportunities,” highlighting the challenges associated with rising data center energy demands. The event brought together experts from engineering, energy systems, data centers, and privacy research to explore how massive AI-driven workloads […]