Daniel Abadi and Amol Deshpande Honored with Test of Time Awards at CIDR 2025

University of Maryland professors Daniel Abadi and Amol Deshpande were recognized with Test of Time awards at the 2025 Conference on Innovative Data Systems Research (CIDR) for their early contributions to developing data stream systems. Their research, published nearly two decades ago, played a key role in advancing real-time data processing, a capability now widely used across sectors.

The awards honored two influential systems—Borealis, co-authored by Abadi, and TelegraphCQ, developed by Deshpande and colleagues. The projects addressed the growing need in the early 2000s to move beyond traditional databases, which processed stored data after collection, toward systems capable of analyzing data continuously as it arrived. This need has multiplied by orders of magnitude since this original research was performed. 

“People wanted to analyze data as it comes in continuously so they could respond immediately,” Abadi said. “There were many use cases—whether it was server logs, environmental sensors or stock trading—where processing the data in real time brings much more value  than analyzing the data later.”

Borealis and TelegraphCQ introduced scalable architectures that allowed data to be processed across multiple servers, rather than relying on slower, single-machine setups. These advances enabled systems to handle high data volumes in real time, using rules and triggers defined by the user to initiate alerts or actions.

The Test of Time award recognizes research that has sustained influence on the field. According to CIDR organizers, both systems significantly shaped how researchers and industry professionals approach streaming data today.

Abadi emphasized that longevity was always a key aim. 

“The entire goal of doing research is to introduce breakthroughs that withstand the test of time,” he said. “I can’t imagine any honor or recognition that more directly affirms this mission.”

Abadi joined UMD in 2017 as the Darnell-Kanal Professor of Computer Science. He previously taught at Yale University and earned his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007. 

Deshpande has been a faculty member in the department since 2004. He completed his undergraduate degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and earned his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Today, both faculty members, who hold a joint appointment in the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), continue to work on distributed data management problems. 

Abadi’s recent work focuses on scalable transactional systems that operate across globally distributed data centers. His group is also exploring data virtualization, aiming to create unified interfaces across fragmented data sources and recently published a book on this subject.

Deshpande’s current projects explore adaptive query processing and integrating uncertain or incomplete data from multiple sources, continuing his focus on real-world data challenges.

The awards highlight how foundational research from years ago influences modern computing. For Abadi and Deshpande, the recognition represents past achievement and a continued commitment to advancing data systems research.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications