PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Stephanie Forrest

Stephanie Forrest is a professor of computer science whose work spans genetic algorithms, artificial life and computer security. She earned her PhD at the University of Michigan in 1985 and chaired the computer science department at the University of New Mexico from 2006 to 2011. Her honours include the ACM/AAAI Allen Newell Award in 2011 and the 2019 ICSE Most Influential Paper Award. At Arizona State University she directs the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society.

Works
320
Citations
27,745
h-index
75

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.

Photo of Stephanie Forrest

Timeline

  1. 1977–1985

    Studying at St. John's and Michigan

    She earns a BA from St. John's College in 1977, then an MS in 1982 and a PhD in 1985 at the University of Michigan.

  2. 1990

    Joining the University of New Mexico

    In 1990 she joins the University of New Mexico as a professor of computer science and directs its Computer Immune Systems Group. Her research studies adaptive systems, including biological modeling, computer security and automatic software repair.

  3. 1994

    Genetic algorithms and artificial life

    In 1994, with M. Mitchell, she publishes 'Genetic algorithms and artificial life' in the journal Artificial Life.

  4. 2006–2011

    Chairing computer science at UNM

    From 2006 to 2011 she chairs the computer science department at the University of New Mexico.

  5. 2011

    The ACM/AAAI Allen Newell Award

    In 2011 she receives the ACM/AAAI Allen Newell Award. The award honors career contributions that have breadth within computer science or that bridge computer science and other disciplines.

  6. 2013–2014

    A Jefferson Science Fellow

    In 2013 and 2014 she serves as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the US Department of State, working on cyber-policy.

  7. 2019–2020

    ICSE and IEEE S&P awards

    In 2019 she receives the ICSE Most Influential Paper Award for a paper published in 2009. A Test of Time Award from the IEEE Security and Privacy Symposium follows in 2020.

  8. As of October 2026

    Directing the Biodesign Center

    She is a professor of computer science at Arizona State University, where she directs the Biodesign Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society.

Sources and credits

Photo: profsforrest.github.io; Home Page; creator not stated. License: Not stated by source. Source: profsforrest.github.io. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.

  1. Stephanie Forrest - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Stephanie Forrest :: Department of Computer Science | The University of New Mexico cs.unm.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Home Page profsforrest.github.io. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Allen Newell Award - SIGAI sigai.acm.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. Complexity Science Hub * Stephanie Forrest csh.ac.at. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. Stephanie Forrest | ASU Search search.asu.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. Home Page cs.unm.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.
  8. Center for Biocomputing, Security and Society | ASU Biodesign Institute biodesign.asu.edu. Checked 14 October 2026.