Dr. Ladan Tahvildari, professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, has been named a Golden Core Member of the IEEE Computer Society—an honour that celebrates her long-standing dedication and impactful contributions to the advancement of the computing field worldwide.
The Golden Core Award, established in 1996, honours select members and staff for their exceptional service to the IEEE Computer Society. Each year, a committee selects individuals who have made enduring contributions to the Society’s mission.
“Volunteering has always been a passion of mine, so this recognition is particularly meaningful,” said Dr. Tahvildari.
Dr. Tahvildari is a respected leader in both research and service. As the head of the Software Technologies Applied Research (STAR) Group at Waterloo, she leads ground-breaking work at the intersection of theory and practice in adaptive security, self-adaptive software systems, and big data management. Her research team is driving the development of intelligent decision-making frameworks that are transforming today’s digital systems—making them more secure and scalable, and also adaptive to the rapidly evolving demands of modern technology.
Dr. Tahvildari has significantly shaped the direction of software engineering as an active contributor to the IEEE community. She is a Senior Member of IEEE and has held numerous leadership roles that include serving as Chair of the IEEE Technical Council on Software Engineering (TCSE) from 2020 to 2024, and as an elected Member-at-Large from 2016 to 2018. She also chaired the TCSE Awards Committee in 2018, and championed equity and representation through more than a decade of involvement in the IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) Affinity Group in Kitchener-Waterloo.
This latest honour follows a series of accolades for Dr. Tahvildari, including her election to the IEEE Computer Society Board of Governors earlier this year and her 2024 induction as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
The Department extends its congratulations to Dr. Tahvildari for her unwavering commitment to research excellence, mentorship, and global professional service. Her leadership continues to inspire students, colleagues, and the broader engineering community.