Official Bio:
Elizabeth M. Belding is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prof. Belding's research focuses on mobile and wireless networking, including network performance analysis, and information and communication technologies for development (ICTD). She is a co-developer of the AODV routing protocol for mobile networks, on which 802.11s and Zigbee technologies are based in part. The original AODV paper published in WMCSA'99 received the 2018 ACM SIGMOBILE Test of Time Award. Prof. Belding applies her wireless network expertise to a wide range of contexts, and is particularly interested in measuring, mapping, and improving fixed and mobile Internet accessibility in unserved and underserved communities in the US and worldwide. Her past ICTD projects have included work in Zambia, South Africa, Mongolia, refugee camps and Native American communities around the US. In addition to this work, she is currently very interested in and engaged with efforts to accurately measure and quantify fixed and mobile broadband deployments in the U.S. She is the founder and director of the Mobility Management and Networking (MOMENT) Laboratory. Prof. Belding is the author of over 170 technical papers on wireless networking and has served on over 80 conference technical program committees. She was Vice Chair of the UCSB Computer Science department 2009-15 and 2017-19. She is currently the inaugural Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the UCSB College of Engineering. Prof. Belding is an ACM Fellow, AAAS Fellow and IEEE Fellow. She is particularly proud of receiving the UCSB Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award in 2012 and the NCWIT Harrold and Notkin Research and Graduate Mentoring Award in 2015 for her mentorship of graduate students.
Informal, More Interesting Personal Narrative:
Prof. Elizabeth Belding's goal is to connect you with the world, no matter who you are, where you live, and what is happening around you. As a professor of Computer Science with over 25 years of experience in wireless networking, she applies her technical skills to socially impactful research to improve the safety and well-being of those who are underrepresented. In particular, she develops innovative communication solutions to improve Internet access in marginalized communities and after natural disasters, she studies Internet use and performance in developing regions, and she is developing better strategies for measuring and mapping fixed and mobile broadband access. Along the theme of computing for social good, for a few years she collaborated with other researchers on the study of social networks, focusing on hate speech and gender-based violence. With a motto of “creating opportunity and empowering others to reach their potential,” Prof. Belding enjoys developing research visions and then creating and leading research teams to accomplish them. A critical component of her work is her passion for student mentorship; she is particularly proud of receiving graduate student mentorship awards from both UCSB and the National Center for Women & Information Technology. Through her research and service leadership at UCSB, Prof. Belding is committed to empowering and advocating for others and making a positive impact locally and globally.