September 25, 2007 —

Dean Yannis C. Yortsos presents David Kempe with the Viterbi School's Junior Faculty Research Award for 2007.

Yannis C. Yortsos, dean of the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, has recognized “the exceptional performance and promise” of two young members of the faculty by appointing them to endowed early career chairs.

Yortsos appointed David Kempe to the Robert G. and Mary G. Lane Early Career Chair and Ellis Meng to a Viterbi Early Career Chair.

Kempe, who joined the faculty in the Fall of 2004, is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science. His primary research interests are in computer science theory and the design and analysis of algorithms, with a particular emphasis on social networks and game theory and pricing questions. He is a recipient of a National Science Foundation Early  Career Award and the Viterbi School’s Junior Research Award. 

He has also been exceptionally active in department and student service, notably as an organizer of the Viterbi School’s award-winning student programming team. 

Meng is an assistant professor of biomedical engineering also came to USC in 2004 and also received an NSF Early Career Award. She earned her B.S. (1997) in Engineering and Applied Science and her M.S. and Ph.D. (2003) degrees in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. While at Caltech, she was a recipient of the Intel Women in Science and Engineering Scholarship, the Caltech Alumni Association Donald S. Clark Award, and a Caltech Special Institute Fellowship. 

Ellis Meng

Meng has established a Biomedical Microdevices Laboratory at the Viterbi School. Her research focuses on developing novel micro- and nanotechnologies for biomedical applications, and her interests include hybrid neural interfaces and the development of advanced medical implants for glaucoma.