Yang Dai

Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig

It is most helpful to know the history of a field. This is THE book that can serve as an intellectual anchor when exploring various aspects of AI.

Anthony Felder

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien

Few stories continue to capture my imagination and interest like this. Whenever I think I’m quite ready for another adventure, this is the one for me.

Salman Khetani

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

In this book, Dr. Covey discusses timeless habits that are essential for happiness and success in both personal and professional circles. It is a great read for anyone who wants to live an effective life.

Ming Wu

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

“Outliers” is very enjoyable book. It offers some interesting perspectives about what makes some people more successful than others. I read this book several years ago. It did have an influence on my understanding of how to be more successful in my academic career.

Sangil Kim

The Future Is Faster Than You Think by Peter H. Diamandis

This book is a good mind opener to what’s happening and about to happen in the world of technology (transportation, education, AI, longevity, etc.).

Craig Foster

The Tower and the Bridge: The New Art of Structural Engineering by David P. Billington

This is the book that first inspired me in civil engineering, examining structural forms in technological, social, symbolic, and aesthetic terms. It reveals the links of scientific rigor and creativity in the creation of a unique type of art.

Santanu Chaudahuri

Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler

During the year of the pandemic, we lost many loved ones. Understanding life and celebrating the lives of family members is the focus of this amazing book. The book discusses how to handle grief and life by finding meaning.

Cornelia Caragea

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

Very inspirational book.

G. Elisabeta Marai

Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky

Roadside Picnic is a tiny “first-contact” philosophical sci-fi novel that punches so much above its weight. It’s as much a commentary about science—the human scientists can’t figure out the principles behind the alien artifacts—as it is about how flawed humanity is. It could easily turn sarcastic, but instead, it finds compassion, courage, and hope. Moreover, as Ursula Le Guin noted, it was written under censorship, and yet the authors wrote “as if they were indifferent to ideology […]. They wrote as free men write”. I brought my copy to the States along with living essentials.

Jason Polakis

The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa

A captivating exploration of humanity’s most enduring questions that paints a unique introspective journey of one’s inner psyche and insecurities. Truly a unique worldview and literary voice, captured in the most beautiful and meticulous prose.

Amit Trivedi

Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality by Max Tegmark

This book combines three of my favorite topics: space, mathematics, and mysteries. Besides being incredibly entertaining and informative, the book helped me develop a new detective-like perspective to my research. It showed how you can really reach to the “stars” even with limited means. It also affirmed my belief that mathematics is the only true language of the universe.

Mojtaba Soltanalian

Matsushita Leadership: Lessons from the 20th Century’s Most Remarkable Entrepreneur by John P. Kotter

An inspirational story that deeply resonated with me and showed me a path of perseverance to success in times of hardship.

Sushant Anand

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna 

For teaching me the meaning of love, truth, humility, life, and the nature of the self.

Parisa Mirbod

Hafez, Stories from Shahnameh of Ferdosi

This book is one of the most famous books in Iran. Long story short, a romance book in poem.

Subramanian Sankaranarayanan

Crucial Conversations by Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler

This book provides several interesting examples of reaching mutually agreeable solutions through dialogue in difficult situations. The book demonstrates how to blend I.Q with E.Q to achieve a new level of bonding with the people around you.

Jason Szwalek

An Album of Fluid Motion by Milton Van Dyke

This book inspired me to pursue experimental fluid dynamics.

Lin Li

Sustainable Manufacturing Systems: An Energy Perspective by Lin Li and MengChu Zhou

My first book summarizing my research achievements in Sustainable Manufacturing Systems since joining UIC.

Betul Bilgin
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
I am always amazed by how our brains work, how we decide, and why we make the choices that we make. This book was one of my first reads on that topic. Kahneman helped me to uncover how my and others’ minds work.

Ian Kash
The Accidental Theorist and Other Dispatches from the Dismal Science by Paul Krugman
This book influenced my career twice. It served as my introduction to economic thinking and later provided an introduction to the story of the Capitol Hill Babysitting Co-op, which provided an accessible example for my dissertation.

Ying Liu
Fermat’s enigma : the quest to solve the world’s greatest mathematical problem by Simon Singh
Math and stories about the mathematicians are beautiful, romantic, and entertaining. Curiosity and passion are the driving forces for great discoveries.

Didem Ozevin
Poems of Nazim Hikmet
I grew up reading Nazim’s poems, listening to songs with lyrics from his poems, and watching his plays in theaters. His views influenced my entire life.

Shanon Reckinger
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
When I read this as a young girl, I related to the protagonist Francie Nolan. This book and the memoir “Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls have deepened my perspective on life.

Renata A. Revelo
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, translated by Myra Bergman Ramos
I read this book too late in my life, as a graduate student. It changed my life perspective as an educator and as an engineer.

Xinhua Zhang
Learning with Kernels: Support Vector Machines, Regularization, Optimization, and Beyond by Bernhard Schölkopf and Alexander J. Smola
Two brave fresh PhD graduates overturned the then-dominating approach of machine learning into a completely new paradigm that is globally optimizable and theoretically analyzable. It demonstrated how to think out of the box and adhere to one’s belief.

Hossein Ataei
The Masnavi I Ma’navi of Rumi, translated by E. H. Whinfield
Whether we call this book a Sea of Wisdom (Bahr-e Ma’navi or Darya-ye Hekmat in Persian)—a title used by scholars throughout the centuries who dedicated their lives to study and explore the meaning of life and the hidden spiritual treasures within Rumi’s teachings and poetry—or a Shop for Unity (Dokaan-e Vahdat), as Rumi himself calls it, this is undoubtedly a masterpiece that provides precise and delicate insights into the spiritual growth and self-awareness of all humans, free and unbound by constraints due to differences in their faith, race, color, or gender, but rather united in love as “truth-seeking and bright mirrors that reflect and shine back the glory of the Almighty God.”

Pai-Yen Chen
Exhalation, by Ted Chiang
This book piqued my curiosity about the relation between science and humanity, further inspiring me to explore infinite possibilities in the universe. Each story has a philosophical premise, fully of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters.

Houshang Darabi
Breakthrough Thinking, by Gerald Nadler and Shozo Hibino
I read this book when I was an undergraduate student. The seven steps of problem solving outlined in this book are very practical and context-independent. I have used them in my personal and professional life.

Natasha Devroye
The BFG, by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake
This book—like all of wonderful Roald Dahl’s books that I have thoroughly enjoyed since childhood—is full of imagination, humor, and simple, brilliant writing. Just perfect.

Arunkumar Subramanian
Cosmos, by Carl Sagan
Beyond the contents for which this book is highly regarded, it taught me interesting new avenues for introducing and teaching complex scientific topics to both an academic and non-academic audience.

Yayue Pan
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” Good habits can make life happier and success easier. This book teaches us concrete action steps to build, change, or dismantle habits.

Hulya Seferoglu
The Black Book, by Orhan Pamuk, translated by Maureen Freely
I read many books, and my whole life was changed.

Jie Xu
A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking
This book made me realize how vast the universe is, and how bizarre the reality can be. Our existence seems trivial, yet our minds reach beyond the universe.

Alan Zdunek
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
I chose this book because it has provided inspiration in my life and career. It is an uplifting story filled with wisdom about searching for one’s personal calling while overcoming the obstacles that inevitably occur along the way. It taught me to listen closely to my inner self as I have journeyed through life, and to remember, as Coelho says, that “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

Vikas Berry
The Law of Success In Sixteen Lessons, by Napoleon Hill
This book taught me the importance of clearly defining goals for all important undertakings and always pursuing excellence, which has helped me in my research work. Further, it taught me to try to create opportunities if none are apparent. This has helped me keep an optimistic frame of mind.

Sheng-Wei Chi
Fail Fast, Fail Often: How Losing Can Help You Win, by Ryan Babineaux and John Krumboltz
Learning from failure provides the way to success. When getting older, we tend to be too cautious to fail and to learn new things. This book helps to conquer the fear of failing.

Hananeh Esmailbeigi
The Complete Book of Ghazals of Hafez, edited by Sajjad Khojasteh
From Hafez’s poems, I learned many life lessons, including my first engineering lesson—optimization! I realized how a short verse of his poems so elegantly optimizes word arrangements to convey deep messages.

Hamed Hatami-Marbini
The Gulistan (Rose Garden) of Sa’di, edited by Shaykh Mushrifuddin Sa’di of Shiraz, translated by Wheeler M. Thackston
“Be either gracious like the date tree or free like the cedar.” The exhilarating stories of this book combine the nectar of elegance with the bitter medicine of advice.

Andrew Johnson
Connections, by James Burke
I read James Burke’s book while in middle school. It showed an interconnected version of history and innovation very different from what I was taught, and I’m sure it led to the interdisciplinary focus in my research.

Chris Kanich
Delete: The Virtue of Forgetting in the Digital Age, by Viktor Mayer-Schönberger
This book helped me understand the historical and human contexts of removal/deletion of information and capabilities that are central to my research. It also motivated my broader socio-technical focus within computer science research.

Dieter Klatt
Alfred & Agnes, by Frieda Stiehl
Frieda Stiehl tells the story of the life of her German immigrant parents, Alfred and Agnes, set against the backdrop of dramatic political and social events. The book illustrates that many developments in life are not only determined by personal decisions but also by historical events that are out of one’s own control. Alfred and Agnes are fortunate that Frieda has preserved the memory of their extraordinary lives in a compelling narration, while the memory of most persons is lost after the passing of the people who immediately knew them. While reading the book it occurred to me that I am pleased that my scientific contributions are documented in publications. But it also made me ask whether there is something else or more important that I want to be remembered for.

Jane Lin
Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom
Recently my 7-year-old son has been asking about death and expressing his fear of death. My answer to him was basically a paraphrase of what Professor Morrie Schwartz says in this book: “As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed as ignorant as you were at twenty-two, you’d always be twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it’s the positive that you understand you’re going to die, and that you live a better life because of it.”

Igor Paprotny
Tales of Pirx the Pilot, by Stanislaw Lem
Through the world of science fiction, this book opened my imagination to the endless possibilities that technology can create and how it can shape our future. The wonders I experienced reading this with my grandfather in what then was still communist Poland shaped my desire to become and engineer and then scientist working toward shaping that future. Lem is a masterful story teller, sending the reader on an unparalleled journey through the cosmos.

Reza Shahbazian-Yassar
The Complete Divan of Hafez, translated by Paul Smith
This book was like a torch showing me the path to success when lost in darkness. The spiritual poems in this book will help you to speak to your heart openly and see your overarching life objectives.

Vivek Sharma
New and Selected Poems of Thomas Lux: 1975-1995, by Thomas Lux
I belong to an extended family of poets (and a few scientists) who were transformed by the mentorship and generosity of Gurudev Thomas Lux. He taught me the importance of mastering your craft as a writer, the significance of meticulous rewrites and revisions, as well as how to read the published work both to educate and inspire oneself. I know I have become a better poet, a better writer, and a better scientist by paying attention to his advice and his way of reading, writing, being. Most importantly, I learned how to be a good teacher. I seek to help students like he did, and emulate the candid delight, that joyful grin, the open-armed, honest pleasure he took in the progress of his students.

Lucy Shi
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
This book taught me some essential values for life, in particular, hope and perseverance; trust and friendship.

Anastasios Sidiropoulos:
Using the Borsuk-Ulam Theorem: Lectures on Topological Methods in Combinatorics and Geometry, by Jiri Matousek
This book presents a surprising link between disparate areas of mathematics. It serves as a reminder that scientific discoveries can transcend classification.