Professor Jimmy Huang of York University's Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) has earned recognition for his work in information and technology with a fellowship at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Jimmy Huang
Huang's work in information retrieval, web search, natural language processing and conversational systems has made significant contributions to the field and highlights York University's role in advancing technology and research.
The 2025 IEEE fellowship is an esteemed honour and the highest grade of membership awarded by IEEE. It acknowledges individuals whose contributions in engineering, science and technology have demonstrated significant impact on society. IEEE is recognized as the world's largest technical professional organization and serves as a leading authority across various fields, including computers, telecommunications, biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics.
"Being named an IEEE fellow is a significant personal achievement for me," says Huang. "I am delighted to receive this recognition from IEEE, which acknowledges the quality and impact of the research work carried out by me and my research group, which includes many well-trained excellent PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, over the years."
Achieving fellow status elevates Huang's recognition and also enhances the visibility of his research. This increased profile is expected to attract additional support, funding and students to LA&PS and the School of Information Technology. This recognition aligns with York's strategic priorities and highlights the University's research in areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and engineering.
Huang's elevation to IEEE fellow is a notable milestone celebrated by his peers.
Ming Li, professor from the University of Waterloo, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair, IEEE fellow, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and one of Huang's nominators, says, "I have known Jimmy since 1998. He is one of the pioneers who proposed task-oriented information retrieval (IR) and utilized machine learning for IR. Huang's proposed task-oriented IR research has led to remarkable impacts in biomedical search and led to some promising research such as conversational search, ChatGPT and BERT-based IR."
Huang is among five Canadians elected as IEEE fellows this year and is the sole faculty member from York to receive this distinction. Less than 0.1 per cent of IEEE voting members are selected annually for this member grade elevation.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
