Cleveland State University is pleased to announce Stefan Andrei, Ph.D. as the new department chair of the Department of Computer Science and the executive director of the CSU Center for Computing Education and Instruction (CCEI). Dr. Andrei is an internationally recognized expert in computer science education, a prolific researcher, an experienced administrator and a visionary leader. 

Andrei joins CSU after serving as professor and chair of the Department of Computer Systems, Engineering Technology at the Oregon Institute of Technology. Prior to his role there, he served as professor and chair at Lamar University. 

Andrei is an internationally renowned scholar and educator, with research in verification, debugging and optimization techniques for real-time embedded systems, and software engineering and translation systems among many more. His extensive list of publications includes more than 80 peer-reviewed conference papers and over 35 peer-reviewed journal articles. He is the co-author or co-editor of nine books and has served as a conference program chair or committee member for over 65 symposiums and conferences.

A passionate advocate for funding faculty research, he was awarded 22 research grants totaling more than $3.5M in funding, mentored new professors, promoted interdisciplinary collaborations and encouraged cross-department and cross-college research initiatives. In addition, he is the editor-in-chief of the ACET (Association of Computer Educators in Texas) Journal of Computer Education and Research.

As executive director of the CSU Center for Computing Education and Instruction, Andrei will strengthen and enrich the Center’s work to support computer science education. The Center’s key accomplishments to date include leading the state’s urban districts in computer science educational offerings and leading the state for the training and credentialing for computer science education resulting in the state of Ohio expanding its support of computer science education. 

“The University’s Center for Computing Education and Instruction under Dr. Andrei’s leadership will continue its mission for improving access to high-quality computer science education for students of all ages within Northeast Ohio and beyond,” said Dr. Debbie Jackson, executive director of CCEI. “We look forward to the significant impact he will have on our academic community and the broader field of computer science education.”

As department chair in the Washkewicz College of Engineering, Andrei will lead, support and enhance the computer science academic programs needed for success in today’s rapidly changing technology landscape. He will provide support to current and future research areas, funding and opportunities for CSU students to engage in research, internships, real-world projects and more. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Andrei to our academic community here at CSU and to Cleveland,” said Dr. Richard Schoephoerster, dean of the CSU Washkewicz College of Engineering. “His impressive background will help us to continue the momentum that our current faculty and staff have contributed to advocating for computer science education.”

He added: 

“The department has recently embarked on some envelope-pushing endeavors including integrated degrees that combine a variety of majors across the University. In addition, we are working in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic to apply quantum computing and AI to medical diagnosis and treatment, so the timing of Dr. Andrei’s appointment is key to the eventual success of those initiatives.”

Andrei holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Hamburg University and was a post-doctoral research fellow in the Singapore-MIT Alliance at the National University of Singapore.

For more information about the CSU Department of Computer Science please visit https://engineering.csuohio.edu/cs 

For more information about the CSU Center for Center for Computing Education and Instruction please visit https://www.csuohio.edu/ccei