Mohammed J. Zaki, Ph.D., Professor and Department Head of Computer Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), has been named a 2025 Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), one of the highest honors in applied mathematics and computational science. Zaki is recognized for his contributions to data mining, knowledge discovery, and leadership in data science.

The SIAM Fellows program acknowledges individuals who have made sustained and significant contributions to their fields. Zaki is widely regarded as a leader in data mining, with groundbreaking work in pattern and graph mining, scalable algorithms, and parallel computing. His research has played a pivotal role in extracting meaningful insights from large and complex datasets, influencing areas such as bioinformatics, personalized health, and financial analytics.

At RPI, Zaki’s research has helped shape the field of data mining, particularly in developing efficient methods for discovering patterns in massive datasets. He was one of the first to recognize the need to mine large-scale data efficiently by using multiple computers working together. His early work on parallel and distributed computing in data mining anticipated the rise of modern big data and AI technologies, including the use of powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) for faster data analysis. In addition to research, Zaki has been an influential figure in the data science community, serving in leadership roles within the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (ACM SIGKDD) and as a program chair for major international conferences. He has also been deeply involved in the success of the SIAM International Conference on Data Mining (SDM) since its inception in 2001.

Beyond his research contributions, Zaki is a dedicated educator. His widely used textbook, Data Mining and Machine Learning (Cambridge University Press, 2nd Edition, 2020), integrates key mathematical and algorithmic foundations and has been adopted in universities worldwide, with translations available in multiple languages.

“I am honored to be named a SIAM Fellow and to join a distinguished group of researchers who have shaped applied mathematics and computational science,” said Zaki. “This recognition underscores the collaborative efforts of my colleagues and students at RPI and beyond. Data mining and machine learning continue to evolve rapidly, and I look forward to contributing to future advancements in these fields.”

Zaki’s research has been supported by major funding agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Energy (DOE), as well as industry leaders such as IBM, Google, HP, and Nvidia. His accolades include the NSF CAREER Award, the DOE Early Career Principal Investigator Award, and multiple industry research awards.

A Fellow of IEEE, ACM, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Zaki’s recognition as a SIAM Fellow further cements his status as a pioneering figure in data science. His work continues to drive innovation in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and real-world applications of data-driven discovery.