Fil Menczer
Distinguished Professor of Informatics and Computer Science Filippo Menczer has been recommended to the Indiana University Board of Trustees for a Luddy Professorship by the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.
The Luddy Professorship is made possible as part of the transformative $60 million gift from IU alumnus and information technology pioneer Fred Luddy in 2019. Luddy Professors are honored for their outstanding work leading world-class, high-impact research. Menczer is a leader in analyzing and modeling the spread of misinformation in social networks while detecting and countering the manipulation of social media.
“Fil’s passion for identifying and combating misinformation is paving the way for significant developments in this area,” said Dennis Groth, interim dean of the Luddy School. “His impact is being felt not just at the Luddy School and on the IU campus, but he’s changing the way researchers view the challenge we face as a society. Fil is exactly the type of visionary Fred Luddy had in mind when he created the Luddy Professorship.”
Menczer was appointed to the rank of distinguished professor of informatics and computer science in 2020. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science and cognitive science from the University of California, San Diego. He is the director of the Observatory on Social Media at IU and the former director of the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research. He is recognized on campus and around the world as a fellow of the ACM, a fellow of the Center for Computer-Mediated Communication, a senior research fellow of IU's Kinsey Institute, and a board member of the IU Network Science Institute.
“First and foremost, this is a recognition of the work of my amazing team of students, colleagues, and other collaborators,” Menczer said. “I am also delighted and appreciative that Fred Luddy is supporting important applications of AI—in my case, to detect and counter online misinformation and manipulation. These are serious threats to our society, health, and democracy, and I am proud that the Luddy School is leading the world in this area, both in research and education.”
Menczer’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the McDonnell Foundation, and the Knight Foundation among others, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and a host of other high-profile outlets.
Established in 2000, the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering is one of the broadest of its kind in the world. Blending the fields of computer science, informatics, intelligent systems engineering, information and library science, and data science, the Luddy School is home to more than 3,000 students from the United States and around the globe. The forward-looking School’s faculty are world-renowned experts in their respective fields, and computer and information sciences research expenditures are ranked 12th in the country.