Bruce Childers, who currently serves as senior associate dean in the School of Computing and Information and professor of Computer Science, will take on an additional role in the Office of the Provost as special assistant to the provost for Data Science.
Over the next two years, Childers will collaborate across the University to develop policies and examine opportunities regarding data science. As a first step, he will help the provost to populate and charge the Task Force on Data Science. The task force will work to further propel Pitt’s educational and research mission through data in all its forms.
According to a message from Provost Ann Cudd, “Many academic units at the University of Pittsburgh recognize this need and are responding individually with initiatives around data science. We have a burgeoning variety of ‘analytics,’ ‘digital,’ ‘computational,’ ‘informatics,’ and ‘-omics,’ in fields as far flung as business, health sciences, social sciences, law, and humanities, as well as adaptive learning and student advising platforms. Coordinating and collaborating on these activities could leverage our collective ability, jointly build capacity to meet the demand, and foster opportunities for new interdisciplinary educational and research programs.”