Jonathan S. Turner, Ph.D., was named the Barbara J. and Jerome R. Cox, Jr. Professor of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The professorship was established by Jerome Cox, Sc.D., and his wife, Barbara, to advance the relationship between theory and practice in the design of digital systems. Jerome Cox is a senior faculty member and a former chair in the same department.
“For over fifty years, Jerry Cox has contributed significantly to teaching and pioneering research in computer science. Now those contributions include providing critical support as a benefactor of the school,” said Mark S. Wrighton, Washington University chancellor. “This very generous gift from Barbara and Jerry Cox will help continue leading edge research that will benefit society for generations.”
Turner, formerly the Henry Edwin Sever Professor of Engineering, has had a distinguished career at Washington University. He joined in 1983 as an assistant professor of computer science, and by 1990 became a full professor. He served as department chair from 1992 to 1997.
His primary research focus has been on the design and analysis of communication networks, with a focus on high-performance routers and switching systems. Currently, Turner has been working on the design of diversified networks. Under his direction, the Applied Research Laboratory in the computer science department has been a leading contributor to advancing innovations in network technology.
With department colleagues, including Jerome Cox and Guru Parulkar, Turner co-founded a start-up company known as Growth Networks, which was acquired by Cisco Systems in 2000, and became a model for technology transfer initiatives at the University. Turner has been awarded 30 patents for his work on switching systems.
He has been honored by his profession by being elected a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) as well as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He has received numerous awards from IEEE, and in 2004 Washington University bestowed upon him the Arthur Holly Compton Award for Faculty Achievement.
Turner is one of Washington University’s first dual-degree graduates, receiving bachelor of science degrees in computer science and electrical engineering; he also received a B.A. degree from Oberlin College. While working at Bell Laboratories, he continued with graduate studies at Northwestern University, earning M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science.
Jerry Cox is a leader in the application of advanced technology for introducing new treatments in biomedical engineering. Like Turner, he is dedicated to the transfer of innovative achievements in the laboratory to biomedical solutions in practice. With his research team, Cox has developed new computer methods for CT and PET scanners that improve the diagnosis of cancers and cardiovascular disease. His innovations were instrumental in developing early monitors for detecting heart rhythm disturbances.
“Jerry Cox has helped build a department with an international reputation for biomedical computing applications and computer networking,” stated Gruia-Catalin Roman, Ph.D., the Harold B. and Adelaide G. Welge Professor of Computer Science and current department chair. Roman pointed out that in the 1990s Cox was a member of the team that designed and developed new high-speed switching technology. Cox also held the Welge professorship title from 1989 to 1998.
Cox earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Notable among his many honors and awards in his field are membership in the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine, and as a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. In 2001, he was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from Washington University.