Fil Menczer
Filippo Menczer, distinguished professor of informatics and computer science at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, has been awarded an Indiana University Bicentennial Medal.
The Bicentennial Medal is awarded to organizations and individuals who, through their personal, professional, artistic, or philanthropic efforts, have broadened the reach of Indiana University around the state, nation, and world. The medals themselves are unique, made from materials salvaged from the old bells which hung in the Student Building on the IU Bloomington campus, giving recipients a lasting piece of IU history. The Bicentennial Medal honors distinguished and distinctive service, broadly defined, in support of Indiana University’s mission as a public university, individuals who have enlarged the footprint of IU, or have helped to put IU on the map in unique ways.
“It was my distinguished pleasure to award Fil a well-deserved IU Bicentennial Medal,” Interim Dean Dennis Groth said. “Fil’s research has allowed IU to become a leader in the study of misinformation across social media and the internet, and his career has exemplified the kind of real-world impact our faculty can have on our society. Fil’s dedication to his work is an inspiration to anyone who has seen him in action.”
Menczer holds a laurea degree in physics from the Sapienza University of Rome and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of California San Diego. He is recognized on campus and around the world as an Association for Computer Machinery Distinguished Scientist, a fellow of the Center for Computer-Mediated Communication, a senior research fellow of IU's Kinsey Institute, and a board member of the IU Network Science Institute.
He also is the director of the Observatory on Social Media, which is conducting groundbreaking research on the critical area of the spread of misinformation on the internet. His group has developed tools to detect and counter social media manipulation.
Menczer was awarded the medal by Groth as a surprise at the conclusion of his colloquium titled “Four Reasons Why Social Media Networks Make Us Vulnerable to Misinformation,” part of the Luddy Virtual Summer Event Series.