His research interests are in the areas of architecture, implementation, and software for high-performance computer systems. He is the director of the OpenIMPACT project, which has delivered new compiler and computer architecture technologies to the computer industry since 1987. He also serves as the Soft Systems Theme leader of the MARCO/DARPA Gigascale Silicon Research Center (GSRC) and on the Executive Committees of both the GSRC and the MARCO/DARPA Center for Circuit and System Solutions (C2S2).

For his contributions to the areas of compiler optimization and computer architecture, he received the 1993 Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer Award, the 1994 Xerox Award for Faculty Research, the 1994 University Scholar Award of the University of Illinois, the 1997 Eta Kappa Nu Holmes MacDonald Outstanding Teaching Award, the 1998 ACM SigArch Maurice Wilkes Award, the 1999 ACM Grace Murray Hopper Award, the 2001 Tau Beta Pi Daniel C. Drucker Eminent Faculty Award. He served as the Franklin Woeltge Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 2000 to 2004. He is a fellow of IEEE and ACM.