CSE announces 2024 faculty promotions

Nikola Banovic

Promoted to Associate Professor with tenure

Prof. Banovic joined the CSE faculty as an assistant professor in 2018. His research is in the area of human-computer interaction (HCI), focusing on computational interaction as well as explainable and responsible artificial intelligence (AI). His recent work involves developing methods for explaining AI decisions and raising AI literacy among end users.

He recently received an NSF CAREER Award in support of his research on this topic, and his many publications at premier HCI conferences have been recognized with several best paper and honorable mention awards.

In addition to his research efforts, Banovic has been a key contributor to the CSE community, including his service as chair of the CSE DEI Committee in AY 2023-24. 

Laura Burdick

Promoted to Lecturer IV

Dr. Burdick joined the faculty as a lecturer in Winter 2021, after completing her PhD in CSE at U-M in 2020. During her time with CSE, she has taught several courses, from ENGR 101: Introduction to Computers and Programming to EECS 492: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. 

Burdick has also been instrumental in developing and implementing EECS 110 (formerly EECS 198): Discover Computer Science, an introductory course for students completely new to CS that she designed and taught for the first time in 2018. A testament to her outstanding teaching service, she received an award from the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in 2022. 

Outside of teaching, Burdick’s research interests lie in the area of natural language processing and particularly machine translation.

Sofia Saleem

Promoted to Lecturer II

Sofia Saleem has been on the CSE teaching faculty since 2019 and teaches several foundational computer science, programming, and data science courses, including EECS 280: Programming and Introductory Data Structures, EECS 203: Discrete Mathematics, and EECS 183: Elementary Programming Concepts. In her teaching, Saleem aims to introduce students to the joys of computing using inclusive educational strategies that are accessible to a broad spectrum of learners. Her teaching approach is also informed by her past experiences as a software and systems developer in industry.

Saleem has shared her experiences and expertise in CS education at numerous events, workshops, and panels. She has been invited to speak on tech education among interdisciplinary learners at the Possibility Studies Network conference taking place in the UK in July 2024.

Alanson Sample

Promoted to Associate Professor with tenure

Prof. Sample started in CSE as an associate professor in 2018 after several years working in industry at Disney Research and Intel Labs. His research is in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI), with a particular focus on wireless technology and embedded systems. As head of the Interactive Sensing and Computing Lab, he has spearheaded the development of new scalable technologies in electromagnetics, interactive sensing, wireless communication, and more that are designed to positively impact people’s lives. 

Sample’s research has resulted in a prolific body of award-winning papers at top conferences, including the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology, the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, and many more.