Meet the UW Data Science Faculty

Silviana Amethyst is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She joined the faculty in August 2017, coming from Notre Dame as a postdoctoral researcher, and Colorado State University where Silviana did her PhD. Silviana is excited about teaching and learning programming and applied math and statistics. Her new research direction is... [Read More]

Dr. Jeffrey Baggett is a professor of mathematics at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He earned his PhD in mathematics from Cornell University in 1996 and studied at the Center for Turbulence Research at Stanford University. He currently researches Bayesian and classical approaches to optimization and uncertainty analysis for problems arising in environmental modeling.

Dr. Barbara Bennie is a professor of statistics at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She joined UW – La Crosse in 2006 after completing her PhD in statistics at the University of Minnesota. Her current research centers on applying statistical modeling methods, primarily in healthcare and environmental ecology contexts. She is active as a mentor for... [Read More]

Dr. Abra Brisbin, associate professor of mathematics, joined UW-Eau Claire in 2012. She earned her BA in mathematics from Carleton College and a PhD in applied mathematics from Cornell University. Previously, she served at Mayo Clinic in the Division of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics on research in statistical genetics. Her research focuses on statistical and... [Read More]

Dr. Jae Choi is an assistant professor of Data Science in the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business at UW-Green Bay. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Information Systems from the School of Business at the University of Colorado, and his M.S. in Information Management from Syracuse University. He currently teaches courses at... [Read More]

Dr. Ethan Christensen is an assistant professor of marketing at University of Wisconsin-Superior. Dr. Christensen holds a BS in business management from St. Cloud State University, an MBA from Minnesota State University-Mankato, and a PhD in marketing from the University of Texas-Arlington. Dr. Christensen currently teaches courses in research methods, consumer behavior, and marketing strategy.... [Read More]

Dr. Robert Dollinger obtained his master’s degree in computer science from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca Romania in 1985 and his PhD in artificial intelligence from the same institution in 1996. Dr. Dollinger began his work as a researcher at the Medical Informatics Institute in Cluj-Napoca. In 1990, he joined the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca... [Read More]

Dr. Hamed El-Afandi graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with a PhD in Computer Science.  His teaching experience of 16 years include Software Design & Architecture, Software Engineering, Software Verification and Testing, Capstone, Program Management, and High-Performance Computing – Big Data courses. Also, he has been working in the healthcare industries, including GE... [Read More]

Dr. Jennifer Garland teaches Management and Marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Dr. Garland holds a BA in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, a MEd in instructional design from Western Governors University, and an MBA and DBA from Keiser University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dr. Garland currently teaches and designs courses in a range... [Read More]

Dr. Sommer Hodson teaches philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.  She completed her BA in philosophy at Oberlin College in 2006, followed by an MA (2011) and PhD (2013) in philosophy at the University of Rochester.  She joined UW-Oshkosh in 2013.  Her research interests include metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and epistemology.

Dr. Jessica Kraker, associate professor of mathematics, joined UW-Eau Claire in 2006.  Her education includes a BA in mathematics from University of Minnesota-Morris and a PhD in statistics from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, for a dissertation involving a wide variety of analyses for high-dimensional data, with a particular focus on penalized regression.  Her student-faculty research... [Read More]

Dr. Erik Krohn, assistant professor in the Computer Science Department, joined UW-Oshkosh in 2010. He earned his BS in computer science from UW-La Crosse and his MS and PhD in computer science from the University of Iowa. Prior to teaching at Oshkosh, he taught at both Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the... [Read More]

Sampath Kumar is a Professor of Marketing for the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business at UW-Green Bay. He earned his PhD in Marketing from University of Memphis (2008), M.Phil in Marketing from Alagappa University (2011), MBA in Marketing and Human Resources from Bharathiar university (1996) and an under graduate degree in Accounting (B.Com) from... [Read More]

Dr. Alice Kyburg is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She received an interdepartmental PhD in philosophy and computer science from the University of Rochester and earned her master of education (MEd) from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. While Dr. Kyburg’s main research is in the areas of cognitive science and the... [Read More]

Richard “Rick” Moran teaches Marketing and Management at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Prior to moving to academia, he spent over 30 years in the airline, advertising agency, travel management and corporate payment industries. While Director of Commercial Marketing at Northwest Airlines, he managed the firm’s relationships with frequent business travelers, including the frequent traveler program... [Read More]

Nate Pollesch is a Mathematician and postdoctoral researcher with the USEPA and the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He earned his PhD in Mathematics and concurrent MS in statistics from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville in 2016 while completing graduate research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.  Nate’s current research focuses on developing quantitative approaches... [Read More]

Dr. Dave Reineke is a professor of statistics at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He earned his master’s degree in applied statistics from Wright State University in 1994 and earned a doctorate in applied statistics from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1999. Dr. Reineke thoroughly enjoys teaching statistics, applying statistics as a consultant,... [Read More]

Praneet Tiwari is a lecturer of Data Science at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He joined the faculty in 2019 coming from the IT industry. He earned his MS in Computer Science with a specialization in Data Analysis and Management from the University of North Texas and a Bachelors in Computer Science with a specialization in... [Read More]

Dr. Mary Tripp has taught business, marketing, and communication courses for over 20 years.  She received her Doctor of Business Administration from Walden University. The focus of her study was the use of social media on corporate communication.  Mary earned her MBA from the University of Minnesota. In addition to her teaching, she has worked... [Read More]

Mckenzie West is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. After graduating from Emory University with her PhD in 2016, Mckenzie worked for one year at Reed College in Portland, Oregon and for two years at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Mckenzie is originally from a small town in Minnesota and... [Read More]