Interest in computer and data science at the University of Oregon continues to build, and the School of Computer and Data Sciences is expanding to accommodate the growing number of students who want to enter the field. This year, the school added seven new faculty members—five in computer science and two in data science—to help meet the demand for courses in key subject areas.
“It is thrilling to see so many new faculty join SCDS, and in particular that we have brought in such wonderful and talented people,” said Hank Childs, interim executive director for SCDS in the College of Arts and Sciences. “I am confident that they will each impact our students, the larger UO community, and the region in myriad ways. Finally, I am thrilled to see UO make such a substantial investment in the school with these hirings.”
Meet the seven faculty members who are joining SCDS this academic year and learn more about how their expertise will help prepare students for careers in computer and data science.
Jieyang Chen
Assistant Professor of Computer Science Jieyang Chen’s research focuses on high-performance computing—specifically management, analysis and visualization of large-scale data and distributed machine learning. Jieyang will join the SCDS faculty in winter term from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Ashley Cordes
Assistant Professor of Data Science Ashley Cordes focuses on ethics and sovereignty within data sciences. Her research involves the intersection of Indigenous science and technology studies, digital media and environmental/place-based studies. She received her PhD in media studies from the University of Oregon and joined the College of Arts and Sciences faculty in 2022.
Suyash Gupta
Assistant Professor of Computer Science Suyash Gupta’s research explores designing efficient, distributed, decentralized and blockchain systems,along with federated learning systems. He also runs the Distopia (Distributed Systems and Databases) Laboratory and co-leads the Oregon Networking Research Group.
Tao Hou
Assistant Professor of Computer Science Tao Hou conducts research in topological data analysis, computational topology, and their applications to machine learning and data analysis. Before joining the SCDS faculty in fall 2024, he was an assistant professor in the School of Computing at DePaul University.
Jake Searcy
Assistant Professor of Data Science Jake Searcy's work focuses on overcoming barriers to implementing cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools in domain-specific settings (such as digital pathology, remote sensing and legal decision making)—particularly issues related to interpretability and limited domain-specific data. Prior to joining UO, he developed novel AI methodologies at Ford Motor Company after beginning his data science career as a particle physicist applying machine learning to data from CERN's Large Hadron Collider. Searcy received his PhD in physics from UO in 2012.
Aye Thuzar
Before joining the SCDS faculty this fall, Instructor of Computer Science Aye Thuzar taught computer science and math at the high school level. She recently received her third master’s degree, in data science, from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Yu Wang
Assistant Professor of Computer Science Yu Wang’s research involves data mining and machine learning with an emphasis on network analysis, machine learning on graphs, and data-centric and responsible AI for social good. Before coming to SCDS, Wang received his PhD in computer Science department from Vanderbilt University.
—By Bailey Meyers, College of Arts and Sciences