Douglas Schmidt

Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Computer Science Vanderbilt University

  • Nashville TN

Expert in mobile cloud computing, cyber-physical systems, information technology and data privacy.

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Spotlight

1 min

Cybersecurity expert on surge in cyberattacks and White House guidance to businesses

Douglas Schmidt, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Computer Science, is available for commentary on the recent increase in major cyberattacks (such as those on Colonial Pipeline and JBS) and recent White House guidance on companies ramping up cybersecurity efforts. Schmidt is an expert in computer science, cybersecurity and cyber-physical systems and can speak to: The recent increase in major cyberattacks  Potential security flaws companies should look for Effects of cyberattacks and what the restoration process looks like after an attack

Douglas Schmidt

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Biography

Schmidt is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, the Associate Provost of Research Development and Technologies, the Co-Director of the Data Science Institute, and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems, all at Vanderbilt University. He is also a Visiting Scientist at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University.

Schmidt is an internationally renowned and widely cited (an h-index of 83, an i10-index of 382, and a citation count of 39,100+) researcher whose work focuses on patterns, optimization techniques, and empirical analyses of object-oriented and component-based frameworks and model-driven engineering tools that facilitate the development of distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) middleware frameworks and mobile cloud computing applications on parallel platforms running over wireless/wired networks and embedded system interconnects. He has published 10+ books and 625+ papers (including 115+ journal papers) in top IEEE, ACM, IFIP, and USENIX technical journals, conferences, and books that cover a range of topics, including high-performance communication software systems, parallel processing for high-speed networking protocols, and distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) middleware with CORBA, Real-time Java, object-oriented patterns for concurrent and distributed systems, concurrent and networked software for mobile devices, and model-driven engineering tools. He has mentored and graduated 40+ Ph.D. and Masters students working on these research topics and has presented 550+ keynote addresses, invited talks, and tutorials on mobile cloud computing with Android, reusable patterns, concurrent object-oriented network programming, distributed system middleware at scores of technical conferences.

Schmidt has co-authored several books in the Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture series for Wiley & Sons edited by Frank Buschmann of Siemens, including Patterns for Concurrent and Networked Objects, A Pattern Language for Distributed Computing, and Patterns and Pattern Languages. He has also co-authored two books for Addison-Wesley on the topic of C++ Network Programming edited by Bjarne Stroustrup of AT&T Labs.

Areas of Expertise

Computer Science
Risk and Reliability
Big Data
Digital Learning
Cyber-Physical Systems
Mobile Cloud Computing
Data Privacy
Data Breach
Distributed Real-Time and Embedded Middleware
Software Patterns and Frameworks
Data Science
Big Data Science and Engineering
Computer Engineering

Accomplishments

Received the Award for Excellence in Teaching by the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering

2015

Education

University of California

Ph.D.

Computer Science

1994

University of California

M.S.

Computer Science

1990

College of William and Mary

M.A.

Sociology

1986

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Selected Media Appearances

Who’s behind the Kaseya ransomware attack – and why is it so dangerous?

The Guardian  online

2021-07-07

This hack was particularly egregious because the bad actors behind it had targeted the very systems typically used to protect customers from malicious software, said Doug Schmidt, a professor of computer science at Vanderbilt University.

“This is very scary for a lot of reasons – it’s a totally different type of attack than what we have seen before,” Schmidt said. “If you can attack someone through a trusted channel, it’s incredibly pervasive – it’s going to ricochet way beyond the wildest dreams of the perpetrator.”

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Nashville bombing spotlights vulnerable voice, data networks

AP News  online

2020-12-31

“People didn’t even realize their dependencies until it failed,” said Doug Schmidt, a Vanderbilt University computer science professor. “I don’t think anyone recognized the crucial role that particular building played” in the region’s telecom infrastructure, he said.

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DOJ's lawsuit against Google is about more than just search engines

The Hill  online

2020-10-27

According to Wired magazine, Google takes great pains to protect user privacy from data exposure. Computer science researcher Douglas Schmidt of Vanderbilt University elaborated: “Google does a good job of protecting your data from hackers, protecting you from phishing, making it easier to zero out your search history or go incognito.” However, “their business model is to collect as much data about you as possible and cross-correlate it so they can try to link your online personal with your offline persona. This tracking is just absolutely essential to their business.”

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Selected Articles

NP22 Development of the Children Eating Well (CHEW) Mobile Application for WIC Families in Tennessee

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior

Pamela Hull, Elyse Shearer, Summer Weber, Douglas Schmidt, Jessica Jones, Calvin Harris, Shelagh Mulvaney

2019

Mobile applications (‘apps’) for WIC families are becoming increasingly prevalent, especially in states that have transitioned from paper vouchers to electronic benefits transfer (EBT) for WIC. Apps and other digital technologies can improve the WIC experience by helping participants check their benefit balance, scan food items to determine WIC eligibility, streamline service delivery, and provide additional nutrition education.

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Consensus Mechanisms and Information Security Technologies

Elsevier

Peng Zhang, Douglas C Schmidt, Jules White, Abhishek Dubey

2019

Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) helps maintain and distribute predefined types of information and data in a decentralized manner. It removes the reliance on a third-party intermediary, while securing information exchange and creating shared truth via transaction records that are hard to tamper with. The successful operation of DLT stems largely from two computer science technologies: consensus mechanisms and information security protocols.

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OpTrak: Tracking Opioid Prescriptions via Distributed Ledger Technology

International Journal of Information Systems and Social Change

Peng Zhang, Breck Stodghill, Cory Pitt, Cavin Briody, Douglas C Schmidt, Jules White, Alan Pitt, Kelly Aldrich

2019

This article describes the structure and functionality of OpTrak, a decentralized app implemented using the Ethereum blockchain that targets the opioid epidemic currently plaguing the United States. Over-prescription and distribution of opioids cost the national healthcare system over $78 billion every year. Problems persist in every stage of the process, from doctors prescribing the medication to the pharmacists fulfilling prescriptions.

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