Derek Riley, Ph.D. joined the MSOE faculty in 2016 and is an associate professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. He recently was named program director of MSOE’s new Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.  

In addition to teaching at MSOE, Riley provides consulting services for companies regarding big data, and helps them find ways to turn the information they are collecting into insight to enhance their bottom line. He is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). His areas of expertise include big data, algorithms, process modeling and simulation, scrum and agile processes, and mobile computing/programming.    

Teaching philosophy: Learn by doing. Real problems provide the best learning.
Favorite thing about MSOE: Students and colleagues
Hobbies: Woodworking, curling
Favorite place to travel: Alaska
Last book read: The Robe
Favorite musician: The Bad Plus
First car: 1967 Dodge Coronet (my great grandmother bought it new and drove it until she gave it to me)
First job: Grocery store bagger/cart runner for Festival Foods
Fun facts: My father recently retired as a CS professor at UW-La Crosse. My sister is a biochemistry professor at Rollins College.
Most important lesson learned: Technology will always change, so lifelong learning is a must in this field.
Family: My wife was an industrial engineer for General Mills, but now she is a full-time mom for our 3-and 1-year old boys. 
Hometown: Onalaska, Wisconsin Education: Ph.D. and M.S. in Computer Science, Vanderbilt University; B.A. in Computer Science, Wartburg College
Teaching experience: Research assistant professor, Vanderbilt University; assistant professor, Middle Tennessee State University; associate professor, founder of UWP-App Factory, UW-Parkside