Vern Paxson Is New Director of Networking and Security

Networking and Security Director Vern PaxsonJanuary 28, 2013
ICSI is pleased to announce that, as of January 1, 2013, Professor Vern Paxson is the director of Networking and Security research. Paxson was previously a senior researcher in Networking. He takes the role of director over from Professor Scott Shenker, who directs the recently established Research Initiatives area and serves as chief scientist. Networking and Security research scientists will conduct research on Internet security issues, including investigating the underground economy.

“Vern has been one of the bright lights of Internet security research for years, and we are delighted that the group will be under his leadership,” said ICSI Director and CEO Roberto Pieraccini. “Scott Shenker will take on the role of Research Initiatives director. We have no doubt that under Vern, the group will continue to be one of the best networking research groups in the world.”

Paxson earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his master’s and doctorate from UC Berkeley, the latter in 1997. He has had a long affiliation with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he continues to hold a position as a staff scientist. He joined ICSI in 1999, and in 2007 he was appointed a professor of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of UC Berkeley. He has served as an area director of the Internet Engineering Task Force, the chair of the Internet Research Task Force, and the vice chair of ACM SIGCOMM. He co-founded the Internet Measurement Workshop (now Conference), the Workshop on Rapid Malcode, and the Workshop on Large-Scale Exploits and Emergent Threats. He has received the ACM SIGCOMM Award, the ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award, the ACM SIGCOMM Test of Time Award, several best paper awards, and the Sakrison Memorial Prize for outstanding dissertation research.