About Us
The University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, known by its acronym UMIACS (pronounced YOU-me-acks), is a multidisciplinary computing research institute led by distinguished researchers and supported by a cutting-edge infrastructure. UMIACS pioneers computational science involving national defense, precision medicine, big data, cybersecurity, language and culture, and more. Established in 1984, the institute's primary mission is to use a team-based approach—supported by powerful computing resources—to address grand challenges in science and society. Much of our research (currently exceeding $25 million annually in external awards) is funded by the numerous federal agencies and labs that dot the region. We also regularly partner with physicians and clinicians at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. The institute is involved in educational activities in a myriad of ways. We currently support more than 200 graduate students (most at the Ph.D. level) from multiple disciplines—computer science, engineering, linguistics, physics, information science, human-computer interaction, geographical sciences, and more—in our centers and labs. Our faculty regularly mentor visiting undergraduates through NSF-funded summer internship research programs. And the institute provides substantial administrative and technical support for undergraduate interdisciplinary educational programs such as the Immersive Media Design (IMD) program.
In 2019, most of our faculty, staff and graduate students moved into the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering, a stunning 215,00 square foot facility that encourages innovation and collaboration. We also maintain a powerful data center and auxiliary office space in the nearby A.V. Williams Building (our former home). Faculty and students active in quantum information science have modern, renovated offices and meeting rooms in the Atlantic Building.
The success of UMIACS in catalyzing and excelling in interdisciplinary applications of computing is often attributed to:
- Identification and focus on grand challenge applications of computing with significant societal impact
- Identifying and incentivizing outstanding faculty to excel in their research through rotating appointments, and
- Mediating interaction amongst interdisciplinary researchers through an outstanding computational infrastructure. We have developed the skill set and culture necessary for building strong interdisciplinary research programs, providing advanced computing research infrastructure, and first-rate technical support, which have greatly facilitated our national and international leadership role in multi-disciplinary computing.
The synergistic environment provided by UMIACS is currently enabling innovative collaborations between faculty from:
We also have numerous affiliate and adjunct faculty from Physics, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Philosophy, Entomology, Atmospheric & Oceanic Science, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, and the School of Music, as well as a dozen federal scientists embedded full-time on the UMD campus working in areas related to quantum computing.
Who is UMIACS?
UMIACS is comprised of many talented individuals that fall largely into one of the categories listed below. Except for graduate students and affiliate or adjunct members, an individual is a member of UMIACS if they have a payroll appointment in the institute, i.e., if at least part of their salary is paid through the institute.
Business office, technology, and communication staff provide the core services offered to our community.
UMIACS faculty serve as mentors to many graduate students. These students are initially admitted to the campus through one of the graduate programs to which our faculty belong, then join the institute when they join the labs of our faculty. Students with a payroll appointment in UMIACS are paid at UMIACS graduate stipend rates.
Professional track (PTK) faculty is a University of Maryland term/category for faculty who are not eligible for tenure. In UMIACS, such faculty are mostly engaged in research activities, are appointed on a contractual basis, and largely supported through external funding. Professional track faculty appointments are governed by the UMIACS Appointment, Evaluation, and Promotion (APT) policy for professional track faculty.
According to the University of Maryland policies, postdoctoral researchers are classified as professional track faculty (see above). Unlike other professional track titles, postdoctoral appointments are temporary. An individual may hold this title for a maximum of 6 years, and new hires must have completed their Ph.D. within five years of the start of their appointment.
Tenured or tenure-track faculty members who have a payroll appointment in the institute represent the core faculty of the institute and are responsible for staffing the committees that govern our operations, and for leading the scientific activities of the institute. UMIACS is not a tenure-granting unit, thus all core tenure-track faculty have joint appointments in other departments on campus. All joint appointments in the institute are made on a rotating basis and are reviewed by the UMIACS Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) committee. Appointments at the assistant and associate professor levels are typically renewed every 3 years, while appointments at the full professor level are typically renewed every 5 years.
Faculty from outside the University of Maryland (adjunct) as well as campus faculty with no-cost appointments in the institute (affiliate) may have an affiliation with the institute to create stronger ties with our faculty. Generally, such affiliations do not make any UMIACS resources available to these affiliate and adjunct faculty other than including them in institute-wide communications. Resources may be provided to affiliate and adjunct faculty only in the context of externally funded research projects that are led by UMIACS faculty and that are routed through the UMIACS business office.