Date: Monday, October 7th

Time: 11am-12pm

Location: J-101 or Teams

Candidate CV

Dr. Yiming Ji earned his Ph.D. from Auburn University in 2006 and is currently a Professor and Chair in the Department of Information Technology at Georgia Southern University. From 2006 to 2019, he also served at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. With over 18 years of experience in Computer Science, Information Technology, and Computational Science, Dr. Ji has successfully led the development and implementation of five new academic programs, including: 1) BS in Computational Science (2010), 2) BS in Information Science and Technology (2019), 3) MS in Computational Science (2019), 4) Bachelor of IT (Online, 2020), and 5) PhD in Applied Computing (2023). Dr. Ji has made significant contributions to his field and has been a key figure in fostering future talent. As a leading investigator, he has secured 12 research grants totaling approximately $13.5 million, including a recent NSF grant ($2.5M, No. 2321939) aimed at building the IT workforce. His dedication to education, research, and service has earned him several accolades, including the prestigious South Carolina Governor’s Award (2016) and the Carolina Trustees Professorship (2019).

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Date: Thursday, October 10th

Time: 2pm-3pm

Location: J-101 or Teams

Candidate CV

Prof. KC Santosh is an accomplished AI expert and the Chair of the Department of Computer Science at the University of South Dakota (USD), where he also serves as the Founding Director of the Applied AI Research Lab. His extensive background includes serving as a research fellow at NIH and a postdoctoral research scientist (IESOFT co.) at LORIA Research Center, France. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science, specializing in Artificial Intelligence (2010/11), from INRIA Nancy Grand Est Research Center in France. At USD, he oversees three degree-granting programs, manages 12 faculty and two staff, and supports around 500 students with approx. $2 million annual budget. He has recruited 90% of the department’s team and led efforts to secure ABET accreditation, ensuring academic excellence. Additionally, recently, he secured a ~$300,000 supercomputing machine (donation) and a $2 million endowment, further enhancing the department’s capabilities and reputation. Under his leadership (founder), USD’s AI programs have seen a 3,000% growth in graduate enrollment, with the development of interdisciplinary collaborations across the campus like BME, Biology, Sustainability, Health Science, Physics, and Business Analytics, establishing USD as a leader in AI education.
With funding exceeding $8 million (sources: DOD, NSF, ED, and SDBOR), 10 books and more than 250 peer-reviewed research articles (e.g., IEEE TPAMI), he serves as an associate editor for esteemed journals such as IEEE Transactions on AI and Int. J of Machine Learning & Cybernetics. He has earned numerous accolades, including the Visionary Leadership Award (University of Derby, 2023), the Cutler Award for Teaching and Research Excellence (USD, 2021), and the President's Research Excellence Award (USD, 2019). Since Spring 2024, he has joined the NIST AI Safety Institute Consortium, representing South Dakota.

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Date: Friday, October 11th

Time: 2pm-3pm

Location: J-101 or Teams 

Candidate CV

Dr. Huihui Wang is a Full Teaching Professor and Director of Computing Programs at Northeastern University in Arlington VA since after she rotated out of the National Science Foundation where she worked as a Program Director. Her current research interests focus on 1) Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity, 2) Cyber-Physical Systems/Internet of Things, 3) Computing and Engineering Education research. She has published over 100 peer reviewed journal and conference papers and published four patents. She is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a member of Board of Governors of IEEE Education Society and a member of IEEE Educational Activities Board (EAB). Dr. Wang is a member of Association for Computing Machinery and American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). She was the Chair of the ASEE Electrical and Computer Engineering Division and Chair of the Faculty Resources Committee of IEEE EAB. Dr. Wang is a program evaluator under both Engineering Accreditation Commission and Computing Accreditation Commission of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

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Date: Monday, October 14th

Time: 11:15am-12:15pm

Location: J-101 or Teams 

Candidate CV

Dr. Parakh is a Professor of Computer Science and the Director of the CS PhD Program at Kennesaw State University (KSU). As the inaugural Director of the program, he has overseen significant growth in both the quality and number of PhD students while implementing new funding mechanisms. In just a few years, he has also led two multi-million-dollar, multi-university initiatives at KSU in quantum computing and cybersecurity. Before joining KSU in 2022, he served as the Mutual of Omaha Distinguished Chair of Information Science and Technology and Director of NebraskaCYBER at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). During his tenure at UNO, he led key cybersecurity initiatives, including securing the NSA's CAE Cyber Operations and Cyber Defense designations. His research focuses on quantum information science, quantum networking, and cryptography. He has secured over $7 million in funding from federal, state, and industry sources. Dr. Parakh holds a PhD in Computer Science from Oklahoma State University and has received numerous awards, including best paper awards, the 2017 UNO Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award and, most recently, the 2024 Outstanding Scholarship and Creative Activity Award at KSU.

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