A Vision for the Future

Burkhard Englert, PhD, has been appointed the Department Chair and Amazon Endowed Chair of Computer Science. Dr. Englert currently serves as the Department Chair of Computer Science at Norfolk State University after being in the same position at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. He will begin at Seattle University on July 1.

To this role Dr. Englert brings a wealth of experience and a long track record of leadership, advocacy and scholarly excellence. Those skills will be vital given the increasing popularity of computing programs, including software engineering, cybersecurity, information and data science and computer engineering, among others.

As the Department Chair and Amazon Chair, Dr. Englert will be able to support the growth of the College of Science and Engineering’s existing as well as new programs, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Additionally, he will help address persistent issues of equity and access in collaboration with the faculty and staff in the college. His vision for growth of computer science as a discipline as well as infusing computing around the campus is aligned with our strategic directions. 

“What I really like is Seattle University is always looking forward and the leadership deeply understands the challenges and opportunities that we face,” Dr. Englert says. “I’m excited to be part of that commitment. The faculty is outstanding. They see what the problems are and they aren’t running away—they’re looking to see what has to happen next. It won’t be easy, but it’s exciting to be a part of. I think it’s a perfect fit.”

Dr. Englert will be tasked with overseeing the implementation of a strategic vision for the department while supporting and hiring faculty. He also will work toward developing partnerships both within Seattle University and in industry to help attract students from diverse backgrounds. He says he is most excited to work with the outstanding faculty as they take on the challenge of an ever-changing cyber world, including the increasing use of and issues around artificial intelligence.

Beginning his career with teaching positions at UCLA and California State University Long Beach (CSULB), Dr. Englert did a two-year stint as coordinator of Graduate Programs in the College of Engineering at Cal State Long Beach. At Long Beach he also served as the Department Chair for Biomedical Engineering and Computer Engineering/Computer Science before moving on to Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado, where he also served as Special Assistant of the Provost.

Dr. Englert has been honored for his work several times, including the CSULB Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, the Robert Sorgenfrey Distinguished Teaching Award for the Department of Mathematics at UCLA, the Louis J. DeLuca Memorial Award as outstanding Teaching Assistant in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Connecticut as well as the CSULB Leadership Fellow and the Project NExT (New Experiences in Teaching) Fellow from the Southern California Section of the Mathematical Association of America.

Dr. Englert has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from University of Tübingen in Germany, a Master’s in Mathematics and a Master’s in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Mathematics (Theoretical Computer Science) from the University of Connecticut.

Much of Dr. Englert’s research involves issues of cybersecurity as well as machine learning, distributed computing, distributed algorithms and transportation network modeling and optimization. He has presented at conferences around the world.