Professor ranked among most cited researchers
Posted: January 26, 2016 6:00 a.m.
Dr. Yiyu Yao, professor of Computer Science, is attracting growing attention from researchers worldwide. U of R Photography.
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Computer Science professor, Dr. Yiyu Yao, has been ranked as one of the most cited researchers in his subject field for 2015.
Yao is ranked among the top 1 per cent, earning him “the mark of exceptional impact.”
The ranking comes from Thomson Reuters, an intellectual property and science business firm that conducts this annual survey of researchers. It states “the 2015 highly cited researchers represents some of the world’s most influential scientific minds.”
Only about 3000 researchers in all fields are named worldwide. Of those, 87 researchers are from Canada of which three are in the computer science field.
“I am honoured to be selected,” says Yao. “Teaching and research have always been my passion. It feels pretty good for being recognized for what I love doing the most.”
Yao’s research interests include web intelligence, granular computing, rough sets, uncertainty management in intelligent information systems, data mining and three-way decisions.
In the past few years, Yao has proposed a theory of three-way decisions for making wise and effective decisions when faced with uncertain and overwhelming information.
"The main ideas are to divide a whole into manageable three parts and to make decisions for each part accordingly. The theory provides a new perspective on decision-making in the information age. It is applicable to both everyday life and intelligent computer systems,” says Yao who notes his theory has attracted growing attention from many researchers around the world.
“Many researchers examine extensions of the theory and apply the theory across different disciplines,” he says.
There are a number of people devoted to this theory, as well as research groups, international workshops, books and journal special issues.
“Dr. Yao is truly amazing,” says Dr. Daniel Gagnon, Dean of the Faculty of Science. “This ranking speaks extremely highly of his research, whose findings are cited by researchers around the world. He not only excels in research but he also has always been accessible to students and his fellow colleagues.”
In 2014, Yao received the University of Regina Alumni Association Faculty Award for Excellence in Research. He has received awards for his scholarly contributions. He was a member of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Computer Science Evaluation Group from 2013 to 2015. His expertise is also sought by many science journals in which he is either an associate Editor or Editorial Board Member.
“Becoming a scholar was my dream ever since my childhood,” says Yao. “I obtained both my M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Regina. The university provides me with an excellent education and the best academic environments so that I am able to excel in my field of research. As a way to thank the University, I try to work hard to help my students in realizing their dreams through excellent teaching and research.”
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