Adobe Research Gift Supports New Research in Computer Science

Adobe Research, the company’s team of research scientists and engineers shaping early-stage ideas into innovative technologies, has donated $250,000 to Northwestern Engineering’s Department of Computer Science to support new areas of research and collaboration with the Kellogg School of Management.

The donation to the computer science department will support research in information visualization, natural language processing, and marketing.

“Our faculty and PhD students are excited to work with the renowned researchers at Adobe Research. This is a unique opportunity for us, and we hope to build a very strong collaboration,” said Samir Khuller, Peter and Adrienne Barris Chair of Computer Science.

Plans for the donation include three areas of focus:

• Information visualization: Funding a yearlong postdoctoral fellowship to work in the information visualization space in collaboration with Jessica Hullman, Allen K. and Johnnie Cordell Breed Junior Professor of Design and assistant professor of computer science, and Steven Franconeri, professor of psychology at Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, professor of leadership at Kellogg (by courtesy), and professor of design at Northwestern Engineering (by courtesy).

• Natural language processing: Funding a PhD student to work in the area of natural language processing in collaboration with Larry Birnbaum, professor of computer science.

• Kellogg Marketing: Funding a deeper working relationship between Northwestern Computer Science and Kellogg Marketing, including potential joint workshops and research, and collaboration between a computer science student and Jennifer Cutler, associate professor of marketing at Kellogg.

The Adobe Research gift is part of a developing relationship between Northwestern University and Adobe researchers who visited the Evanston campus in November to meet with Northwestern Engineering Dean Julio M. Ottino and Kellogg Dean Francesca Cornelli to discuss potential research collaborations and partnerships. Northwestern Engineering and Kellogg Marketing will participate in another planned visit in February to facilitate direct dialogue between Adobe Research and Northwestern researchers.

“We are indeed excited about working with Adobe Research moving forward, and I am grateful to them for their support of Northwestern Computer Science,” said Khuller.