Kurt Luther recognized for contributions to crowd computing and human-AI collaboration

Kurt Luther, associate professor of computer science and founding faculty member of the Virginia Tech Institute for Advanced Computing, has been named a 2025 Distinguished Member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). He is one of 61 computing professionals worldwide honored this year for significant technical achievements or service to the field.

ACM’s Distinguished Member program recognizes the top 10 percent of its global membership.

“Our field depends on colleagues who volunteer their time to serve the greater good,” ACM President Yannis Ioannidis said in a recent release. “From conference organizers to editorial board members of ACM journals and computer science curriculum developers, these peers support the community that benefits us all. We’re excited to see how these leaders will continue to shape our increasingly digital society.”

Luther was recognized for contributions to crowd computing and human-AI collaboration, reflecting a research career focused on how people and intelligent systems can work together to solve complex problems. At Virginia Tech, he directs the Crowd Intelligence Lab and serves as associate director for research in the Center for Human-Computer Interaction. His work bridges human-computer interaction, social computing, and human-centered AI, with applications ranging from national security to historical research.

Prior to Virginia Tech, Luther completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute and internships at IBM Research, Microsoft Research, and YouTube/Google.

ACM is the world’s largest computing society with more than 100,000 members across 190 countries.