
The College of Engineering and Computer Science is excited to announce Paulo Shakarian as the first appointed K.G. Tan Professor of Artificial Intelligence (AI). This professorship is a faculty position in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and was established by computer science alum Kwang G. Tan’s G’73 to support the future of education and research. Shakarian will lead the development and analysis of AI algorithms while serving as an instructor for computer science students.
Shakarian previously worked at Arizona State University, where he was a tenured professor and later the Research Director in the School of Computing and AI. He brings over 10 years of expertise in logic programming, data mining, and work at the intersection of AI and security. Shakarian is looking to leverage the endowment to further AI research and education at Syracuse, building on a series of recent AI hires made by the EECS Department.
“This professorship is particularly special as K.G. Tan is a pioneering innovator who helped usher in the first major wave of computing. It is a privilege to take this position in his honor,” says Shakarian. “This is particularly inspiring as we create AI systems to power the next technological revolution. I am excited to work with Syracuse’s strong faculty to establish leadership in this area.”
Tan designed some of IBM’s first functional computing units and had a successful career at companies such as HP and Sun Microsystems. His academic and professional journey has led him to value the importance of empowering engineering students, and he’s consistently supported the University through scholarships, foundations, and gifts. This professorship continues Tan’s legacy of academic support and innovative research.
“Dr. Tan’s doctoral research and early industrial work at IBM contributed to the design of foundational computing processors that helped spark the computing revolution. His work also played a role in inspiring Syracuse University’s establishment of the nation’s second-oldest computer engineering program. As the inaugural K.G. Tan Professor of AI, Paulo Shakarian brings a similarly innovative spirit by challenging the field’s conventional dependence on deep learning, which underpins large language models,” says Alex Jones, Klaus Schroder Professor and EECS Department Chair.
“His research in next-generation metacognitive AI is transforming how artificial intelligence can be integrated with rule-based decision-making,” Jones continues. “Combined with his experience in building AI-centric education programs, Dr. Shakarian’s leadership will further strengthen EECS’s already prominent position in AI research and education. I’m excited to see Dr. Tan, through Dr. Shakarian as his inaugural namesake professor, contribute once again to a transformative era—this time, the revolution of AI.”