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Associate Professor
Computer and Data Sciences

Andrew Watkins’s path to a career in computer and data sciences was nontraditional, studying English at Mississippi State University for his bachelor’s and master’s degree and spending his first few professional years teaching English in the United States and China. 

“My early love was literature and language,� Watkins shared. “However, I have always been fascinated by computers—what can be done with technology, how computing can mimic and enhance what we do as humans, how mastering technology can change a person's life and give them agency.�

That passion drew him back to the classroom, and he pursued another master’s and a PhD in computer science. Given his interests and formal education, some of Watkins’s favorite things about computer science are the “in-between areas.�

“In particular, I like the interplay between the humanities and computing,� he said. “As well as the ways computer science has often looked outside of itself as a discipline for inspiration in tackling problems.�

Watkins will take this interest to the classroom with an excitement to teach students who are just starting to explore computer and data science. This fall semester, he will be teaching CSDS 101: Computer and Data Science for All. In the spring he will teach CSDS 233: Introduction to Data Structures alongside a potential course that will look at the intersection of computing and the humanities—an area he is eager to teach and research.

“My current research project involves examining ways of creating welcoming and inclusive computer science transfer pathways between community colleges and primarily undergraduate institutions in Ohio,� he shared. “Specifically, I'm interested in mechanisms that can help increase and sustain the number of women studying computer science throughout this network of institutions.�

Learn more about Watkins below.

What are you most looking forward to at Case Western Reserve University?

For the last decade I was teaching at a primarily undergraduate institution. I'm looking forward to being at a research-intensive university again and the energy that kind of focus on knowledge creation brings. Yet, as a life-long computer science educator, what I'm most looking forward to is getting to know a new group of students and learning how I can help them along the way to their academic and career goals.

Do you have any personal goals, hobbies, family, interests that you would like to share?

When I have time, I enjoy reading, with a particular fondness for speculative fiction. I also enjoy the occasional hike with the Cleveland-area having so many great paths for all levels of hiker. I have 2 daughters with my older [daughter] entering her senior year in high school and younger [daughter] just starting high school.

What’s one piece of advice you have for students? Or what’s a great piece of advice you’ve received?

Get to know your professors. I know it can be daunting with larger classes, but I'd encourage students to try to engage with faculty beyond the classroom as it will greatly enhance their experience.