Department of Data Science

In the Department of Data Science, students and faculty harness the power of data to unravel mysteries, predict trends, and drive impactful change. The Department of Data Science faculty merges strong expertise in AI, machine learning, statistics, data ethics, data sovereignty, and visualization with deep subject matter knowledge and meaningful collaborations to make real-world change across diverse domains.

Research in the department touches a wide range of fields, including applied health research, digital humanities studies, social media analysis, and fundamental research in evolution and ecology.

Department Leadership

Peter Ralph

Department Head
Director of Graduate Studies

Rori Rohlfs

Assistant Department Head

Andrew Muehleisen

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Data Science Department News

Making the most of available research dollars

November 9, 2026

SCHOOL OF COMPUTER AND DATA SCIENCES — In 2026, College of Arts and Sciences faculty secured over $53M in sponsored research funding – and $533,628 of that was by SCDS’ very own Jieyang Chen, assistant professor of computer science, from the National Science Foundation for research on large language models. 

Computer science grads land dual opportunities at Meta

October 22, 2026

DATA SCIENCE — Opportunities to work at companies like the social media monolith Meta are significant accomplishments for one person, so it’s even more remarkable that Aliza Lisan and Hammad Ather both landed roles at the company at the conclusion of their graduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences School of Computer and Data Sciences.

Data science students partner with Lane County to tackle inequality

October 15, 2026

DATA SCIENCE — Tasked with helping low-income residents find better employment, the Lane County Workforce Partnership turned to a team of four students at the University of Oregon who were motivated to use their skills and knowledge to impact the community.

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