School of Computer and Data Sciences

two female students on laptops in a campus cafe

 

The University of Oregon's new School of Computer and Data Sciences opened in fall 2023. The school combines the university’s established and growing strength in computer science with its five-year investment in data science­. The new school, housed within the College of Arts and Sciences, offers courses to all UO students and is a home to research and experiential education activities.

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230
Data science majors
650
computer science majors
1,750
students served across campus annually

Ducks Take Flight

Liz Olson '17

Computer Science Major

Since graduating in Computer Science from UO in 2017, Liz Olson has held a steady focus on the study of robotics. More specifically, she’s been researching perception in robotics or, how robots learn from sensory data—how they perceive, comprehend and reason. 

Now, having almost completed her PhD at the University of Michigan, Olson has set her sights on academia and industry to continue her research.

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Liz Olson, CS Alumni student
student posing in front of multiple screens displaying code

Lindsey Uribe '23

Data Science Major, Biology Domain, Mathematics Minor

Lindsey Uribe was interested in data science long before she knew it was a viable career option. She had always found working with numbers to be satisfying. But she also had an interest in biology. When she began looking for an academic program that might combine the two, she found a match with UO’s Data Science program. 

Lindsey graduated in 2023 with a data science degree and a minor in mathematics. She then secured a full-time position as a data scientist with Dexcom, the company where she had interned.

Read Lindsey's Story

SCDS_Interdisciplinary Specializations

Computer Science Interdisciplinary Specializations

We are home to state-of-the-art research in natural language processing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. We offer students and faculty a close-knit community in which to learn, discover, and innovate in a shared quest for solutions to a spectrum of challenging problems that stretch across campus:

SCDS_UG program domains

Data Science Undergraduate Program Domains

Data science undergraduate students can choose from a variety of domain areas from across the university. Domain specialization provides students with the opportunity to apply core data science knowledge and skills to an area of interest, including:

Undergraduate Program

2023 Grad Spotlights 

male student in graduation regalia standing in front of white studio background

Gabriel Peery

Math and Computer Science major, Physics minor

Gabriel is a Summit and Pathway Oregon scholar in the Clark Honors College from Klamath Falls, OR. Gabriel was a part of the cybersecurity club, philosophy club, and Oregon ballroom dance club. With Professor Thanh Nguyen as his advisor, Gabriel conducted research that explored the security of machine learning and presented it at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. He also worked as a learning assistant for CS classes and helped students understand class content. 

portrait of woman outdoors

Rudi Madala

Data Science major, Mathematics emphasis, Biology minor, Business Administration minor

Rudi is a Presidential scholar from Portland, OR. She has been working for the math and science libraries on campus since her sophomore year. Working these jobs has made her more confident when teaching math and talking to other students and coworkers while also creating an opportunity to give back to the math department. After graduation, Rudi will be moving to Texas to work for JP Morgan as a data science and AI analyst.

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 Joe Sventek

“SCDS is a hub of innovation and exploration where students explore the limitless potential of computational technology. They dive into coding challenges, unlock data insights, and develop futuristic solutions. The school engages in cutting-edge research, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaborations, preparing students for the ever-evolving world of technology and data-driven fields.” 

—   Joe Sventek, Interim Executive Director, School of Computer and Data Sciences

Impactful Faculty Research 

Rori Rohlfs

Rori Rohlfs

Associate Professor of Data Science

Rori Rohlfs, the first tenure-track faculty member in the new Department of Data Science, has built her reputation at the intersection of biology and computer science. She comes to UO with deep data science experience and a passion for its application to social justice.

"There's no avoiding social context when we’re doing science,” she says. "It’s clear in the questions we ask and our approaches to those questions, who we include on our scientific teams, what assumptions we make, and what assumptions we examine. How data science informs social justice is integral to this discussion.”

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Ram Durairajan

Ram Durairajan

Associate Professor of Computer Science and Ripple Fellow

When Ramakrishnan (Ram) Durairajan decided it was time to take on the beast that is the internet, he came prepared. Durairajan’s team is developing a new, more agile defense framework that can be programmed to control network infrastructure and forward behavior.

The endgame here is to deliver an exceptionally reliable level of protection from cyber-attacks. His strategy to meet this challenge is not only groundbreaking but also a promising path toward something the world is more than ready to welcome, a higher-functioning Internet.

“My goal is to build a better internet, one that is more secure, more performant, and more resilient.”

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313
grants submitted in last 5 years
153
grants funded in last 5 years
$24,000,000+
total amount funded in last 5 years

Research & News Stories

March 18, 2024
COMPUTER SCIENCE - Robotics champion and international women's education advocate Saghar Salehi escaped a certain death in Afghanistan to continue her fight for Afghan women’s rights as a computer science major at the UO College of Arts and Sciences.
March 11, 2024
COMPUTER SCIENCE - When Ramakrishnan (Ram) Durairajan, associate professor and Ripple Fellow in the School of Computer and Data Science, decided it was time to take on the beast that is the internet, he came prepared. Durairajan’s team is developing a new, more agile defense framework that can be programmed to control network infrastructure and forward behavior.
February 6, 2024
COMPUTER SCIENCE - Funded by a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), computer science researchers at the College of Arts and Sciences are partnering with Rutgers University to answer that question while shoring up the region’s network of earthquake sensors and wildfire cameras.
February 5, 2024
COMPUTER SCIENCE, DATA SCIENCE - Whether to help conservation managers set hunting limits for mule deer, aid rangers in poaching prevention on African wildlife reserves, or inform public health officers about reducing the prevalence of diabetes in rural India—the tools of data science are increasingly being applied to fields where their utility has historically been less obvious.
January 8, 2024
COMPUTER SCIENCE and CYBERSECURITY - Cybersecurity experts from the state’s three largest research universities — University of Oregon, Oregon State University and Portland State — have joined together to launch the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, with the goal of improving Oregon’s resilience to cyberattacks. It was created by the passage of House Bill 2049, which was signed into law by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek in July.
December 20, 2023
EARTH SCIENCES, DATA SCIENCE - Clark Honors College senior and data science major Lynette Wotruba took up data science three years into her college career. Today, she’s working with the Department of Earth Sciences to make information about the dangers of tsunamis accessible to communities along the Oregon coast.
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