Profile
After starting his undergraduate education in engineering, Suraj "Suresh" Kothari decided to switch first to physics and then to mathematics, and finally got his B.Sc. from Wadia College in Pune, India; M.Sc. from the University of Pune; and Ph.D. from Purdue University with Professor Shreeram Abhyankar.
After 15 years in the Department of Computer Science at Iowa State University, Dr. Kothari joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in January 1999. He led the efforts to build a strong Software Systems Group in the department and start an undergraduate degree program in software engineering. Dr. Kothari has held consulting positions at AT&T Bell Labs; the Tata Research, Design, and Development Center (TRDDC); and the Center for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
Dr. Kothari teaches courses in software engineering, parallel computing, operating systems, and discrete mathematics. He has mentored 12 Ph.D. and 44 M.S. students. His joint research efforts with students and colleagues have led to more than 70 papers, four patents, and more than a dozen software tools.
Dr. Kothari’s research in software engineering involves developing appropriate theoretical foundation and building practical tools for improving productivity and quality of software. His research in applied high-performance computing involves developing algorithms and parallel computing tools for computational biology and scientific computing. In 2002, he founded EnSoft Corp., a company that now provides software tools to more than 90 companies including major avionics and automobile companies in US, Europe, and Japan.
Additionally, Dr. Kothari has served as an ACM Distinguished Lecturer and as a distinguished technologist for the United Nations’ TOKTEN program. He has received several awards including a $25,000 First Prize in John Pappajohn Iowa Business Plan Competition, a Prometheus Award for Innovative Teaching, and a Prometheus Award for Innovator Company of the Year.
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