Rebecca Wright, Druckenmiller Professor of Computer Science and faculty director of the Vagelos Computational Science Center, has been named a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
The Fellowship recognizes ACM’s top 1% of members for their “outstanding accomplishments in computing and information technology and/or outstanding service to ACM and the larger computing community.”
Wright received the prestigious honor for her contributions to security and privacy, as well as her leadership in both research and education.
“We are enormously proud to see Professor Wright’s research and leadership recognized by this signal honor,” said Provost Rebecca L. Walkowitz. “She brings so much to her discipline and to Barnard.”
Wright inaugurated Barnard’s computer science program in 2019, responding to the rapidly evolving landscape and growing student interest in the field. Since its launch, she has built the department from the ground up, contributing to a significant increase in the number of Barnard students pursuing computer science and related fields at the graduate level. In 2025, computer science became one of the most popular majors at Barnard — an especially notable milestone at a women’s institution. Wright’s guidance and influence help prepare the next generation of women leaders in a traditionally male-dominated field.
“We are honoring members working in well-established disciplines such as computer architecture and software engineering, alongside innovators in emerging disciplines like swarm intelligence or scene recognition,” said ACM President Yannis Ioannidis. “As we congratulate the new Fellows for their accomplishments, we hope that their work will also serve as an inspiration to the next generation.”
Wright has also developed innovative computer science education and mentoring programs grounded in rigorous research. After inaugurating computer science at Barnard, she launched the Computing Fellows program in 2020, which embeds undergraduate peer mentors in courses across disciplines, demonstrating how computing intersects with fields beyond computer science.
“I feel passionately about providing all kinds of people with a high-quality computer science education, mentorship, and other resources needed to succeed,” said Wright. “These are good jobs, and everyone should have access to them.”
Wright’s impact extends beyond education to influential research in privacy and security. Wright has developed cryptographic methods for privacy-preserving machine learning. She has also advanced differential privacy by demonstrating how mobile phone location data can be used to model human mobility in ways that protect individual privacy. This work was among the first to show that differential privacy could be applied effectively at a large scale. Her interdisciplinary achievements have established her as a pioneer in computer science, driving meaningful change and shaping the development of modern technology.
Wright’s recognition as an ACM Fellow underscores the breadth of her influence in research, education, and public service, placing her among the most accomplished leaders in computing. Her work reflects the depth of scholarship that defines Barnard’s academic community.