Computer Science Department Chairman Marc Pomplun died Jan. 18. He was 55.
Pomplun started teaching at UMass Boston in 2002 and chaired the computer science department since the summer of 2019. He was also the director of the Visual Attention Laboratory, according to his website.
“Marc led the Computer Science department for the last several years, but his legacy will go much further than that. Marc will be remembered as a dear colleague and a guiding light for many,” College of Science and Mathematics Dean Ricardo Castano-Bernard wrote in an email to the computer science department.
“I hope you find comfort in the memories you shared, and the legacy Marc leaves behind,” said Castano-Bernard.
Pomplun graduated with his Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD from the University of Bielefeld in Bielefeld, Germany. He conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Toronto before coming to UMass Boston.
Pomplun’s research focused on eye tracking and its applications, including understanding human vision and attention and improving algorithms computers use to analyze images. He was listed as an author on more than 200 publications cited in more than 6,400 published works, according to his Google Scholar profile.
Last fall, Pomplun taught a graduate course on neural networks, CS672. According to the provost’s office, he also taught courses on software engineering, artificial intelligence, computer vision and applied discrete mathematics in recent years.
“Professor Pomplun will be profoundly missed by his family, his colleagues here at the University and elsewhere, and by his former students,” Provost Joseph Berger said in an email. Pomplun is survived by his wife of 17 years, Michelle Umali, and his mother, Petra. He was preceded in death by his father, Hasko Pomplun.
Born in Ratzeburg, Germany and raised in Lübeck, Germany, Pomplun remained in close contact with childhood friends until his death, according to the provost’s office.
Interim Computer Science Department Chair Xiaohui Liang said that Pomplun’s tenure was marked by “many great successes that will continue to shape our future.”
Wrote Liang, “We will always remember his warm smile, kind words, and inspiring leadership as we move forward together.”
This article appeared in print on Page 4 of Vol. LIX Issue X, published Feb. 10, 2025.
