Parallel Systems, Leadership, and Research Strategy in Computing: an Interview with Jean-Luc Gaudiot

An interview with Jean-Luc Gaudiot, recipient of the 2026 Richard E. Merwin Award for Distinguished Service.

Jean-Luc Gaudiot is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine and former President of the IEEE Computer Society, whose pioneering work in parallel processing and computer architecture has bridged the gap between industrial application and academic innovation.

We connected with Dr. Gaudiot to discuss the transition from industry to academia, the strategic importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the essential mindset required to navigate the rapid evolution of AI and computer security.

Your early career included roles at Teledyne Controls and TRW before moving into academia. What essential technical or professional skill did you learn during those industrial years that proved most critical for your subsequent success as a professor and researcher?

The most important skills I developed during my industry years were teamwork and communication. Those are the two essential skills I learned when working on a project with a large number of participants. In many ways, academic environments tend to favor individual work, save for some rarer large groups, yet being able to communicate, to exchange ideas is paramount. It also emphasized for me the end products that are useful and implementable at reasonable cost. This is a critical skill in the engineering profession.

Your research spans diverse areas, including parallel systems, hardware-based computer security, and autonomous driving. How do you identify new, impactful research areas, and what advice do you have for young researchers on maintaining relevance and focus over a multi-decade career?

There are no secrets to this: one must read a lot, attend forward-looking conferences, and interact with many colleagues. Seek opportunities for collaboration when the situation arises but be sure to maintain your own research program that will uniquely identify your contribution. Ultimately, one should remain open to new technical developments and adapt when the environment changes. This is why I often recommend junior researchers to focus on their own area but keep an eye on a secondary area or two.

As Chair of EECS at UCI, you oversaw a period of significant growth and faculty recruitment. What is the single most important principle you followed to foster a highly productive and nationally ranked department?

I was fortunate to have the support of the higher administration. This truly made the whole difference in the world in attracting the highest quality applicants and selecting the very best. Paramount was the principle of empowering all the colleagues, fostering a collaborative culture and encouraging mentoring of new hires.

With nearly 300 publications, you clearly understand how to achieve high output. For a young professional starting their own lab or research group, what are the key strategies you recommend for structuring research projects and mentoring students to ensure consistent, high-quality results?

I routinely encourage the members of my research group to seek information (and opinions) from as varied sources as possible. This may mean colleagues, other faculty members, or even other researchers through the Internet. At the same time, I emphasize independent thinking, high standards of rigor, and communication. This I do by organizing regular group discussions, stressing early exposure to publication venues, and encouraging collaboration among students to help create a culture where productivity, quality, and personal creativity reinforce one another.

Your service to the IEEE, including reforms as Computer Society President and chairing key committees, is extensive. How do you balance the demands of high-level service with the necessity of maintaining an active research agenda?

It is quite easy to add service work when service activities align with one’s research interests. In that case, service is not a distraction but an extension of one’s intellectual work, adding a new dimension to its impact.

You promoted inter-society collaboration through the Multiple Society Discount Program. Why is breaking down silos between technical organizations important, and how can a young professional actively contribute to this collaborative environment early in their career?

Breakthroughs often do not come from working strictly within one’s traditional discipline. Instead bridging the gap between established domains (the interdisciplinary approach) is more fruitful. By reaching out to other fields, one can adopt and integrate methods and ideas across boundaries and produce integrated approaches. I encourage young professionals to adopt this mindset early—actively reaching across boundaries and engaging with other communities.

Given the rapid pace of change in computing—from AI to security—what is the most crucial skill or mindset that universities must instill in the next generation of engineers and computer scientists?

It remains as always: students must learn to learn. This is particularly the case in a fast-moving technical domain where today’ s truths may be overturned tomorrow, and new ideas may revolutionize the field overnight. Another critical skill is the ability to ask questions and even more to the point, to question both existing assumptions and emerging ideas. This curiosity naturally drives exploration beyond one’s immediate area and fosters innovation, as we are seeing with developments such as the AI revolution.

You co-founded Computer Architecture Letters and the PACT Conference. What distinguishes a successful collaboration or co-founded initiative from one that fades, and what should a young professional look for in a co-founder or long-term collaborator?

As I mentioned before, service work should come as a natural extension of one’s research work. Often, collaboration on an initiative (such as founding a journal or a conference) naturally evolve from earlier contacts (and may be collaborations) on a research problem. A word of caution, though: some extraordinary contributors to our technical field may not be a good match for the more “people-oriented” aspects of service work.

Throughout your career, you’ve moved from industry to USC, and then led a major growth phase at UCI. What is your process for adapting your research and leadership style to new institutional cultures and challenges?

Understanding the local environment is key. Flexibility and respect for institutional cultures are essential, as is the ability to listen and learn. while at the same time being able to introduce new ideas and carry over effective practices from previous experiences. The balance between adaptation and innovation is key.

Having achieved the highest levels of recognition (IEEE Fellow, AAAS Fellow) and professional impact, how do you personally define success today, and what final piece of advice would you give to a young professional aiming for a similar trajectory of influence?

The most important thing is to choose an area which strongly excites you. When you are passionate about your field, high-quality contributions follow naturally and help shape your long-term impact. My advice to young professionals is simple: choose a path that inspires you, remain authentic, and let your work reflect that commitment.