A Michigan State University researcher in the College of Engineering has the world's top H-index ranking for computer science and electronics.
According to Guide2Research, University Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Anil K. Jain is ranked #1 in the 2020 edition of Top Scientists Ranking for Computer Science & Electronics. Guide2Research is a leading portal for the exploration and analysis of computer science.
Jain's H-index is 188, based on a detailed examination of more than 6,000 profiles on Google Scholar and DBLP. The H-index is a measure of scientific research impact.
Abdol-Hossein Esfahanian, chairperson of the MSU Department of Computer Science and Engineering, called Jain a caring and devoted mentor for students and faculty members alike.
"Anil is not only a world-class researcher, he is an inspiration for all of us. We are very fortunate to have him as a colleague," he added.
Jain's former MSU students are not surprised with the "spectacular academic accomplishments" he is achieving.
"He combines a research leader's commitment to intellectual rigor, a mentor's big heart, exquisite taste in selecting research topics, and the communication gifts that allow his group's discoveries to be shared effectively with the public," said Patrick Flynn, department chair and professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame. Flynn is a three-time MSU graduate: bachelor's degree (1985) in electrical engineering, and master's (1986) and PhD degrees (1990) in computer science.
"This is a remarkable record for a remarkable teacher and scholar," Flynn added.
J.C. Mao, corporate vice president at Microsoft, said he considers himself "extremely fortunate" to have received his PhD in computer science in 1994 under Jain's supervision.
"Professor Anil Jain is a truly world-class researcher. The education and training I got from MSU was my biggest asset when I left MSU 26 years ago, and it still is today," Mao said. "I am so grateful to Anil, who has been my long-time mentor and friend ever since.
"He's offered me invaluable advice and guidance on my research and career, and provided many opportunities for me to stretch myself throughout these years. He really considers my success as his own. It is truly a blessing to have a professor, mentor, and friend who cares so much about my success and well-being," Mao added.
Former student Arun Ross, who is now a professor and the Cillag Endowed Chair in the MSU Department of Computer Science and Engineering, called Jain an extraordinary scientist and a remarkable and conscientious teacher. Ross is a two-time MSU graduate, receiving a master's degree (1999) and PhD (2003) in computer science.
"I continue to benefit greatly from his mentorship," Ross said. "It is my distinct privilege to be counted as his colleague in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. In fact, his office is right next to mine - symbolic, perhaps, of our long-term collaboration!"
Jain is an internationally recognized expert in pattern recognition, machine learning, computer vision, and biometrics recognition. He directs MSU's Biometrics Research Group.
He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE), foreign member of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), a member of The World Academy of Science (TWAS) and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He is a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.
Jain was a member of the U.S. Defense Science Board and Forensics Science Standards Board. His prizes include Guggenheim, Humboldt, Fulbright, and King-Sun Fu Prize. For advancing pattern recognition, he was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
He was Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, the most prestigious journal in computer vision (2018 Impact Factor = 17.73). Jain has been assigned eight U.S. and Korean patents and is active in technology transfer for which he was elected to the National Academy of Inventors. His list of publications is available at Google Scholar.