Amid ongoing efforts to expand the number of senior faculty in Harvard's Department of Computer Science, the University has granted tenure to Michael D. Smith, a popular associate professor who studies computer architecture.

"The promotion of Mike Smith to tenure is a wonderful development for computer science at Harvard, a real step forward in our efforts to strengthen this program," Harry R. Lewis '68, Dean of the College and Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science, wrote in an e-mail message.

Smith, who obtained his doctorate in Electrical Engineering in 1993 from Stanford University, worked in the industrial field designing computer chips and central processing unit boards before beginning his teaching career.

Smith's promotion reflects Harvard's realization of that computer science is becoming an increasingly popular field of study, especially among undergraduates, said Watson Professor of Computer Science Michael O. Rabin.

"The department is in a stage of expansion," Rabin said. "Harvard realizes that computer science is a very important field."

Rabin added that students are attracted to the program both because of its intellectual challenge and because of the opportunities it offers for later financial success.

The department is currently in the process of recruiting both junior and senior faculty members in order to fulfill student demand, Rabin said.

But finding quality faculty members like Smith is a challenge he added.