Advancing Data Science

UTSA’s School of Data Science is the first of its kind in Texas and is a significant addition to an emerging industry.

By Alex Roush

UTSA’s newest addition to the Downtown Campus—the 167,000-square-foot, six-story San Pedro I—opened its doors this semester to welcome the School of Data Science (SDS). Established in 2018, the SDS supports UTSA’s mission of inclusion and opportunity, and it enables students to pursue advanced degrees to contribute to today’s data-rich society. The school is the first of its kind in Texas, helping UTSA maintain a competitive edge in the world of data science.

“By assembling a team of core UTSA faculty members from diverse disciplines and housing them under one roof, the SDS provides the perfect platform needed to solve important data science challenges with significant societal and economic impact,” said Murtuza Jadliwala, an associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and a core faculty member in the SDS. “Being located in downtown San Antonio, the SDS also brings UTSA data science faculty and students closer to local government and industry partners, opening new and unique collaboration opportunities, which have the potential for directly impacting the health, economy and progress of our city and state.”

“By locating so many faculty from different departments with similar research interests and complementary skills under one collaborative roof, the School of Data Science provides lots of opportunities for research collaboration and student training,” says Jianhua Ruan, a professor in the Department of Computer Science. “I believe collaborations between SDS faculty and domain experts, including those at UTSA’s National Security Collaboration Center and the College of Sciences, will lead to more largescale, data-driven scientific discoveries and technology innovations in many fields ranging from natural science, public health and policy to medicine, engineering and business.”

The SDS is comprised of core faculty from three different colleges: the Alvarez College of Business, the College of Sciences, and the Klesse

College of Engineering and Integrated Design. With the help of COS faculty, the SDS currently offers multiple undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees related to math and computer science in subject areas such as artificial intelligence, data science, data analytics and applied statistics.

The SDS features multiple research areas including the MATRIX AI Consortium for Human Well-Being, the Open Cloud Institute and other labs that will enable research and teaching in bioinformatics, cyberinformed engineering, data engineering, Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, smart transportation and more. The Human Mobility Lab is a lab shared among faculty from the College of Sciences; the Alvarez College of Business; the College of Education and Human Development; the College of Liberal and Fine Arts; the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design; and the College for Health, Community and Policy.

“This lab will enable highly accurate human motion data sets that can be used to advance many data-driven applications, such as rehabilitation, accessibility, entertainment, education and training,” said John Quarles, a professor in the Department of Computer Science who is leading the creation of the Human Mobility Lab. “I expect the School of Data Science will strengthen my existing collaborations and expand them significantly.”

“Both the students and faculty in these programs will generate the necessary momentum to enhance San Antonio’s expanding digital economy with greater diversity and more discoveries,” said David Mongeau, director of the School of Data Science. “The SDS will attract numerous students who will earn advanced degrees in diverse disciplines, all of which are highly in demand in downtown San Antonio and beyond.

Even though the SDS is in its initial stages, it is already impacting the lives of students such as Carly Schneider. Schneider recently completed an internship with Victory Capital, an investment management firm headquartered in San Antonio. UTSA’s education prepared her for the opportunity, helping her feel relaxed and comfortable in her interview. Schneider landed a position as one of the firm’s first data science interns. “I was very much a hard worker and pushed through any challenges that we came across to complete what I set out to do,” said Schneider. “And that showed me how driven I was and how ready I was for the workforce.”

The SDS is already playing an important role in the San Antonio community and is positioned to make a great impact on the field of data science. “It’s quickly becoming undeniable that data science is greatly impacting our lives in so many positive ways,” said Rocky Slavin, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science. “The School of Data Science is seizing this opportunity by bringing scientists and industry professionals from various backgrounds together under one school. Not only does this put UTSA at the forefront of data science innovation through collaborative research, but it also creates an ideal environment for educating and training, as well as a way to engage with the San Antonio community at the heart of the city.”

Student Spotlight

Sds By The Numbers

32

Core Faculty

Gabriel Morales

Born in Puerto Rico and a Texas resident since the age of 5, School of Data Science and computer science Ph.D. student Gabriel Morales is multilingual, speaking not only English and Spanish but also the languages of music theory and software. Software, he says, is a language that invigorates his creativity. “I hope I can contribute as much to my field and community as UTSA has to me!” says Morales.

5 Undergraduate Degree Programs

Graduate Degree Programs

7

5 Certificate Programs

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