By james art President Joe Biden last week appointed University of Florida Distinguished Professor of Computer Science Juan Gilbert to the National Science Council, which serves as an independent body of advisers to both the president and Congress on policy issues related to science, technology and mathematics.
Gilbert is one of eight members appointed to the board, which also prepares policy papers and statements on issues of importance to US science and engineering.
“Dr. Juan Gilbert’s research pioneered new voting systems to help protect democracy,” said University of Florida Interim President Kent Fuchs, a former member of the National Research Council. “This great honor is well deserved and further enhances UF’s reputation for excellence. We are extremely proud of Juan’s work and this prestigious appointment. University of Florida researchers are committed to advancing science and engineering alongside our federal partners.”
Gilbert, the Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor and chair of UF’s Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering, directs the Computing for Social Good Lab, which focuses on projects at the intersection of people, technology and society. Last year, President Biden awarded Gilbert the National Medal of Technology and Innovation for pioneering a universal voting system that makes voting more reliable and accessible for all and for increasing diversity in the computer science workforce.
“This tremendous honor marks much more than Juan’s technical acumen or his relentless drive to help students from all walks of life become leaders in STEM fields,” said Forrest Masters, interim dean of UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. “What that tells us is that Juan is a trusted voice that the president of the United States considers vital in shaping the nation’s science agenda.”
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Gilbert’s research projects include election security, usability and accessibility, advanced learning technologies, human-centered artificial intelligence and machine learning, and ethnocomputing or culturally relevant computing.
He is the inventor of Prime III, a secure and accessible open source voting system that adapts to people with disabilities and ensures the reliability and security of every vote. It is the only open source voting system used in local, state and federal elections.
“Serving on the National Science Council is a tremendous honor and responsibility. The ability to set the science agenda for the nation is a great responsibility,” Gilbert said. “Furthermore, serving as an expert to the President and Congress is a recognition of our lab’s research achievements over the years.” To serve with so many other respected researchers and leaders is humbling. It is a real honor for me to be a member of the NSB.”
Gilbert is a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Academy of Inventors. He received his MS and PhD in computer science from the University of Cincinnati and his BS in systems analysis from Miami University in Ohio.