Derek Riley, Ph.D. has been named program director of the new Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program at Milwaukee School of Engineering. Riley joined the MSOE faculty in 2016 and is an associate professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department.

“MSOE is pleased to support Dr. Riley in his new role as the program director of our new computer science program,” said Dr. Eric Baumgartner, MSOE vice president of academics. “His strong academic background in the field of computer science along with his commitment to MSOE’s focus on applications-based education make him a natural fit to serve in this role.”  

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.  

Riley holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Computer Science, both from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, and a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Prior to teaching at MSOE, he was a research assistant professor at Vanderbilt; an assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; and an associate professor at UW-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where he also founded the UWP-App Factory.  

The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at MSOE will be focused on artificial intelligence, delivered through MSOE’s rigorous, industry-driven curriculum in an application-oriented environment, setting it apart from other computer science degrees offered. MSOE is currently accepting applications from prospective students and courses will begin in Fall 2018. The program will be housed within the new Dwight and Dian Diercks Computational Science Hall once the building is completed.