• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Texas A&M University
• M.S. in Computer Science, University of Delaware
• B.S. in Computer Science (Summa Cum Laude), University of Indianapolis

Dechev joined UH in August 2026 from the University of Central Florida where had been since 2010, advancing from assistant professor to full professor. He directs the Algorithmic Research for Essential Asynchronous Computing (AREA 67) laboratory which focuses on fundamental challenges in parallel and distributed computing, high performance computing, blockchain, and artificial intelligence. He has served as principal investigator on numerous research projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. Prior to entering academia, Dechev held research positions at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

His career also includes national leadership at the NSF, where he served as a program director with the Division of Computing and Communication Foundations from 2021 to 2025. In that role, he led major research programs in scalable systems and formal methods, launched new NSF-DOE initiatives and helped establish international research collaborations. His contributions earned him NSF Director’s Awards for Superior Accomplishment in both 2023 and 2024.

• NSF Director’s Award for Superior Accomplishment 2024
• UCF CECS College Excellence in Professional Service Award 2024
• NSF Director’s Award for Superior Accomplishment 2023
• UCF Research Incentive Award 2019