UNM Computer Science

Alumni

Alumni in the News: Derek J. Smith Profiled, Published in Science for his Work Mapping Influenza

Derek J. Smith, who received his PhD in computer science from the CS Dept, is now mapping influenza mutations at Cambridge University, where he is a full professor in the Zoology Department. His work is a continuation of the PhD and postdoc he did with Department Chair Stephanie Forrest.

He was called "Mapmaker for the World of Influenza" in a recent biographical piece in Science. His work on antigenic cartography is so highly regarded that he was invited to join the World Health Organization group that selects which strain of influenza will be used for the annual flu vaccine used worldwide by 300 million people.

Derek Smith and other CS Dept Alumni, Terry Jones, were authors on a paper published recently in Science magazine called "The Global Circulation of Seasonal Influenza A (H3N2) Viruses", which described the cycle of influenza mutations first appearing in East/Southeast Asia and later propagating to the the world. This work could help improve the vaccine millions depend on each flu season.

Related links: Derek J. Smith; Terry Jones; Science biography; Science Article

Alumni List

This is a list of some of the alumni of the CS Dept.

Anyone with a degree from the CS Dept. can email about their graduation year, type of degree, and current employer, and we'll be happy to add you.

If you still have a (current) web page on the CS or the UNM server, we will add a home page link only if requested. All other links will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Last Updated: January 30th, 2009