The world-renowned faculty at Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering welcomed 13 new members for the 2021-22 school year.
The new faculty include a full professor, two assistant professors, three visiting professors, and seven lecturers in informatics, computer science, and information and library science.
“Our faculty are experts in their respective fields, and the addition of these new voices from around the world only enhances our reputation of welcoming varied perspectives to our school,” said Dennis Groth, interim dean of the Luddy School. “We’re so excited to have students returning to the classroom for in-person learning, and our new faculty only add to the excitement that comes with the new school year.”
The latest faculty members include Professor of Informatics Gabriele Guidi, Assistant Professors of Computer Science Saul Blanco Rodriguez and Nai-Hui Chia, Visiting Assistant Professor of Informatics Sai Shruthi Chivukula, Visiting Assistant Professor of Informatics Maryan Heidaripour, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science Hasan Kurban. Lecturers include Nazim Ashraf (computer science), Philipp Jordan (informatics), Alexis Pierce Caudell (informatics), Kurt Seiffert (computer science), Muazzam Siddiqui (computer science), Younei Soe (information and library science), and Brian Wood (informatics).
Established in 2000, the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering is one of the broadest of its kind in the world. Blending the fields of computer science, informatics, intelligent systems engineering, information and library science, and data science, the Luddy School is home to more than 3,000 students from the United States and around the globe. The forward-looking School’s faculty are world-renowned experts in their respective fields, and computer and information sciences research expenditures are ranked 12th in the country.
More information about the individual faculty members can be found below.
Nazim Ashraf, Lecturer in Computer Science
Nazim will be joining IU in January and comes to us from FC College where he was an associate professor. He is the founder and developer of “Personal Training Coach,” a workout application available on the Android and iOS platforms. He holds both master’s and doctorate degrees in computer science from the University of Central Florida.
Saul Blanco Rodríguez, Assistant Professor in Computer Science
Blanco’s research interests include algorithms and theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Blanco received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Cornell University and previously was a visiting assistant professor at the Luddy School.
Nai-Hui Chia, Assistant Professor in Computer Science
Chia received a Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from Pennsylvania State University. He held a postdoctoral research appointment at the University of Texas at Austin and was a Hartree Postdoctoral Fellow in the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS) at the University of Maryland. His research interests are in quantum algorithms, quantum computational complexity and quantum cryptography.
Sai Shruthi Chivukula, Visiting Assistant Professor in Informatics
Chivukula’s research interests lay at the intersection of human-computer interaction (HCI), user experience (UX) design, and ethics and values. She completed her Ph.D. in Technology at Purdue Polytechnic Institute this summer.
Gabriele Guidi, Professor of Informatics
Guidi comes to Luddy from Politecnico di Milano where he was a tenured associate professor. He is currently conducting research on ultrasound equipment for mechanical engineering and has taught courses in computer vision, 3D rendering, and technology for cultural heritage. He is a leader in the field of virtual heritage, and his team in Milan generated more than 500 3D models in just 30 months. He received his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Bologna (Italy).
Maryam Heidaripour, Visiting Assistant Professor in Informatics
Heidaripour is a recent graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago where she received her Ph.D. in Design and both an M.B.A. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Design from the University of Tehran, where she received the Best Graduate Dissertation Award in the Faculty of Fine Arts. She comes to Luddy with teaching experience in design and social informatics.
Philipp Jordan, Lecturer in Informatics
Jordan will join IU in January 2022. Philipp boasts teaching experience in social and ethical issues in computing, usability engineering, and human-computer engineering. He also has distance learning teaching experience. Jordan earned his Ph.D. in Communication and Information Sciences from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. He holds master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Hawai’i and in mechanical engineering from the University of Stuttgart in Germany.
Hasan Kurban, Visiting Associate Professor in Computer Science
Kurban conducts research into data mining, machine learning, big data, data science, and artificial intelligence. He comes to us from Siirt University in Turkey where he was an associate professor of computer science. A former Luddy student, he received his Ph.D. in Computer Science at Indiana University.
Alexis Peirce Caudell, Lecturer in Informatics
Caudell has a diverse educational background with a Ph.D. in Informatics from Indiana University, an MLIS from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, an M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from the University of Georgia, and a B.S. with Honors in Geography from the University of Wales. She has taught courses at Murray State University and at Utah State University in addition to here at Indiana University. She has served as Curriculum Coordinator at the University of Georgia, as Reference Librarian at Utah State University, and as the director of public library.
Kurt Seiffert, Lecturer in Computer Science
Kurt has worked for many years at Indiana University in various positions, most recently as principal security engineer for UITS. He has previously been an adjunct lecturer at Luddy. He enjoys building reliable, secure, and value-oriented services and tools. Seiffert holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Indiana University and has many years of real-world experience.
Muazzam Siddiqui, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science
Siddiqui has experience teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas of data mining, database management, data structurers, artificial intelligence, information security, big data technologies, enterprise modeling and simulation, pattern recognition, and information technology infrastructure. Siddiqui comes to Luddy from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia where he was an Associate Professor and Head of Academic Affairs. He was at King Abdulaziz University for 12 years. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from the University of Central Florida.
Younei Soe, Lecturer in Information and Library Science
Soe’s research has focused on understanding how individuals use new media technologies to make sense of both the political landscape and the wider information environment. An additional area of specialization for Soe is in social informatics. Her most recent research has been examining how young citizens learn about public affairs and broad politics using new media technologies, particularly in the U.S. and South Korea. Before coming to IU, she worked at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC. She received her Ph.D. in Mass Communication at Indiana University and an MA in Communication, Culture and Technology at Georgetown University.
Brian Wood, Lecturer in Informatics
Brian is an enthusiastic teacher, researcher, 3D modeler, animator, and evangelist for virtual reality technologies. He teaches all aspects of the VR development process from prototyping to art assist creation to application logic to publishing a final build. Brian has been our Virtual Reality Lab Director and a Visiting Lecturer for the past year.