Tim Finin
Encyclopedia
Tim Finin is a Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). His research has focused on the applications of Artificial intelligence
to problems in information systems and has included contributions to natural language processing
, expert systems, the theory and applications of multiagent systems
, the semantic web
, and mobile computing
.
Finin holds degrees from MIT
and the University of Illinois. Prior to joining the UMBC, he held positions at Unisys
, the University of Pennsylvania
, and the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He is the author of more than 300 refereed publications and has received research grants and contracts from a variety of sources.
He has been an organizer of several major conferences, including the IEEE Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Applications, ACM Conference on Information and Knowledge Management, ACM Autonomous Agents conference, ACM Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing and International Semantic Web Conference. He is an editor in chief of the Journal of Web Semantics
and on the editorial board of several other journals. Finin is a former AAAI
councilor and board member of the CRA
.
In 2009 the IEEE Computer Society
awarded him a Technical Achievement "for pioneering contributions to distributed intelligent systems".
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
to problems in information systems and has included contributions to natural language processing
Natural language processing
Natural language processing is a field of computer science and linguistics concerned with the interactions between computers and human languages; it began as a branch of artificial intelligence....
, expert systems, the theory and applications of multiagent systems
Multi-agent system
A multi-agent system is a system composed of multiple interacting intelligent agents. Multi-agent systems can be used to solve problems that are difficult or impossible for an individual agent or a monolithic system to solve...
, the semantic web
Semantic Web
The Semantic Web is a collaborative movement led by the World Wide Web Consortium that promotes common formats for data on the World Wide Web. By encouraging the inclusion of semantic content in web pages, the Semantic Web aims at converting the current web of unstructured documents into a "web of...
, and mobile computing
Mobile computing
Mobile computing is a form of human–computer interaction by which a computer is expected to be transported during normal usage. Mobile computing has three aspects: mobile communication, mobile hardware, and mobile software...
.
Finin holds degrees from MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and the University of Illinois. Prior to joining the UMBC, he held positions at Unisys
Unisys
Unisys Corporation , headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, United States, and incorporated in Delaware, is a long established business whose core products now involves computing and networking.-History:...
, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. He is the author of more than 300 refereed publications and has received research grants and contracts from a variety of sources.
He has been an organizer of several major conferences, including the IEEE Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Applications, ACM Conference on Information and Knowledge Management, ACM Autonomous Agents conference, ACM Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing and International Semantic Web Conference. He is an editor in chief of the Journal of Web Semantics
Journal of Web Semantics
The Journal of Web Semantics is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Elsevier. It covers knowledge technologies, ontology, software agents, databases and the semantic grid, information retrieval, human language technology, data mining, and semantic web development. The...
and on the editorial board of several other journals. Finin is a former AAAI
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence or AAAI is an international, nonprofit, scientific society devoted to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines...
councilor and board member of the CRA
Computing Research Association
The Computing Research Association is an association of more than 220 North American academic departments of computer science, computer engineering, and related fields; laboratories and centers in industry, government, and academia engaging in basic computing research; and affiliated professional...
.
In 2009 the IEEE Computer Society
IEEE Computer Society
The IEEE Computer Society is a professional society of IEEE. Its purpose and scope is “to advance the theory, practice, and application of computer and information processing science and technology” and the “professional standing of its members.” The CS is the largest of 38 technical societies...
awarded him a Technical Achievement "for pioneering contributions to distributed intelligent systems".