Agrawal appointed director of the School of Computing

The University of Georgia has appointed Gagan Agrawal a professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies at the Augusta University School of Computer and Cyber ​​Sciences, as director of the UGA School of Computing. Agrawal was selected after a nationwide search and will start as director on July 1st.

Gagan Agrawal

UGA elevated its longtime computer science department to the School of Computing in July 2022 in response to increased student enrollment and the growing role of computer science in a diverse range of fields. Created in an interdisciplinary framework, the School of Computing is jointly administered by the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering.

Agrawal was an assistant professor of computer science and information science at the University of Delaware between 1996 and 2001.

Between 2001 and 2019, he was an associate professor, professor, graduate director, and interim computer science department chair at The Ohio State University. He has conducted research in High Performance Computing, Cloud/Grid Systems, Scientific Data Management, Data Mining, Social Media Analytics and most recently, Cybersecurity. His work in these areas has resulted in more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, more than 9,000 citations, and 35 advised or co-advised students who have completed their Ph.D.

He has served as a PI or co-PI for 26 different awards from the National Science Foundation and has received significant funding from the Department of Energy, the National Security Agency, and others.

Dr. Agrawal is a nationally recognized leader in a variety of computer science research fields, and we welcome his leadership in one of the University of Georgia’s newest and most foundational academic units, said S. Jack Hu, senior vice president of business affairs. academics and chancellor of UGA. I look forward to working with Dr. Agrawal and the deans of Franklin College and the College of Engineering in supporting the research and teaching mission of the School of Computing.

The School of Computing administers the university’s bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. programs in computer science and the master’s program in information security and privacy. The growth of programs reflects the high demand for graduates with experience in computer science and related fields.

The vastly expanded role of computing in our society generally follows the establishment of the computer science department at our university in 1984, a relatively short period during which data and information security touched every person and industry, said Alan Dorsey , the former dean of Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, who played a key role in establishing the new school. We are excited about this coming era of greater opportunities for our students and faculty and are grateful to Dr. Thiab Taha for his invaluable leadership in computer science and service to the University of Georgia.

Anna Stenport succeeded Dorsey as principal of Franklin College on June 1.

We are thrilled that Dr. Agrawal is joining UGA as founding director of the School of Computing, said Don Leo, dean of the UGA College of Engineering. His successful record of interdisciplinary research and education will help us realize the opportunities to have a joint program between our two colleges.

Nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment in STEM-related occupations will grow 8 percent through 2029, with computer science and engineering among the fields with the highest projected growth.

School of Computing faculty embody the interdisciplinary research that has become a hallmark of UGA, leading the University’s Institute of Artificial Intelligence, the Institute for Information Security and Privacy, the Georgia Informatics Institutes, and the Center for Cyber -Physical Systems.