Alan L. Tharp
Professor Emeritus
alan_tharp@ncsu.eduBio
Alan L. Tharp is a professor emeritus in the Department of Computer Science at NC State University. He served as department head from 1992 to 2004, during which time he recruited 29 tenure-track faculty members and established several key programs, including the Strategic Advisory Board, Senior Design Center, Corporate Education Program, and ePartners Program .
Tharp’s research focused on developing innovative file structures to enhance system performance and enable new applications. He also contributed to advancements in database architectures, software usability, and computer science education .
He earned his B.S. in science engineering and his M.S. and Ph.D. in computer science from Northwestern University. Prior to joining NC State, he held positions at Monsanto Company, Texas Instruments, and The Aerospace Corporation .
Tharp has been recognized with several honors, including NC State’s Alumni Association Distinguished Undergraduate Professorship Award in 1985 and induction into the Academy of Outstanding Teachers in 1976 and 1980. In 2004, he was appointed commissioner of the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Area(s) of Expertise
Information and Knowledge Management
Publications
- Simplified Self-Adapting Skip Lists , Lecture notes in computer science (2010)
- Toward a Visualization of DNA Sequences , Advances in experimental medicine and biology (2010)
- Shift Hashing for Memory-Constrained Applications , (2009)
- Reflections on 10 years of sponsored senior design projects: Students win–clients win! , Journal of Systems and Software (2006)
- File organization and processing , (1988)
Groups
Honors and Awards
- Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC) of ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., commissioner - 2004
- NC State's Alumni Association Distinguished Undergraduate Professorship Award - 1985
- NC State Academy of Outstanding Teachers inductee - 1976, 1980