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David G. Sullivan

    Master Lecturer on Computer Science
    College of Arts and Sciences
    Boston University

Overview

During my time as a graduate student, I was a member of the SYRAH and AI research groups at Harvard. My research involved applying insights and techniques from artificial intelligence to problems in systems. For my doctoral thesis, I explored the use of techniques from probabilistic reasoning (specifically, the influence diagram formalism) to automate the tuning of software systems.

Since graduate school, I have been primarily focused on teaching and course development, including the creation of a course for non-majors that provides a data-centric introduction to computer science.

Invited Talks and Panels

  • Panelist, Crowdsourcing for Creating Community in Your Classes, Faculty Forum, Boston University, May 16, 2022.

  • Peer Instruction, Computer Science Department, Boston University, October 26, 2018.

  • Revamping the First Course for Majors: A Preliminary Report, Computer Science Department, University of Massachusetts, Boston, March 26, 2015.

  • Providing Students with Computational Tools for Working with Data, Boston University Center for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching, January 10, 2013.

Publications

  • David G. Sullivan. A data-centric introduction to computer science for non-majors. In Proc. of the 44th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE ‘13), 2013, pp. 71-76.

  • David G. Sullivan, Margo I. Seltzer, and Avi Pfeffer. Using probabilistic reasoning to automate software tuning. ACM SIGMETRICS Performance Evaluation Review 32(1): 404–405.

  • David Gerard Sullivan. Using probabilistic reasoning to automate software tuning. Ph.D. thesis, Harvard University, September 2003.

  • Barbara J. Grosz, Sarit Kraus, David G. Sullivan, and Sanmay Das. The influence of social norms and social consciousness on intention reconciliation. Artificial Intelligence 142(2002):147-177.

  • David G. Sullivan, Barbara J. Grosz, and Sarit Kraus. Intention reconciliation by collaborative agents. In Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems (Boston, Massachusetts), IEEE Computer Society Press, 2000, pp. 293-300.

  • David G. Sullivan and Margo I. Seltzer. Isolation with flexibility: a resource management framework for central servers. In Proceedings of the 2000 USENIX Annual Technical Conference (San Diego, California), USENIX Association, 2000, pp. 337-350. (addendum); related technical report)

  • David G. Sullivan, Alyssa Glass, Barbara J. Grosz, and Sarit Kraus. Intention reconciliation in the context of teamwork: an initial empirical investigation. In Klusch, M., Shehory, O.M., Weiss, G., eds., Cooperative Information Agents III, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 1652, Springer-Verlag, 1999, pp. 149-162.

  • David G. Sullivan, Robert Haas, and Margo I. Seltzer. Tickets and currencies revisited: extending multi-resource lottery scheduling. In Proceedings of the Fifth Workshop on Hot Topics in Operating Systems (Rio Rico, Arizona), IEEE Computer Society Press, 1999, pp. 148-152.

Last updated on February 4, 2023.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi, BU Photography.