Tom Woteki, founding director of the Academy of Data Science, has announced that he will retire at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. An internal search has been launched for his successor.

“I greatly appreciate Tom’s leadership in getting the Academy of Data Science established and our new master’s degree in data science approved,” said Kevin Pitts, dean of the College of Science. “Tom’s dedication exemplifies the desire of Virginia Tech alumni to give back to the university.”

In 2020, Woteki was tabbed by former College of Science Dean Sally Morton to lead the creation of the brand-new Academy of Data Science. One of the college’s strategic initiatives, the Academy of Data Science was envisioned to become the transdisciplinary educational and intellectual home for students and faculty, elevating data science as a scientific discipline of its own. It is also a hub for external partners and partners across the university for individuals to engage with the College of Science on data science issues.

Woteki, a three-time Hokie alumnus with a Ph.D. in statistics, has been responsible for establishing the Academy of Data Science’s presence and reputation on campus. Among the highlights that have occurred in the Academy of Data Science during Woteki’s tenure are the

  • Transition of the Computational Modeling and Data Analytics (CMDA) undergraduate program, one of the fastest-growing majors in the College of Science, from the Academy of Integrated Science
  • Creation of Data Science Faculty Fellowships and Academy of Data Science Discovery Fund, which have enabled data science-related research and scholarship across Virginia Tech
  • Development of a virtual data science lecture series during the pandemic in conjunction with the Northern Virginia Technology Council
  • Sponsorship of campus events including an Ecological Forecasting Project seminar in spring 2023, Women in Data Science Blacksburg events from 2023-25, and the Design and Analysis of Experiments Conference in 2024
  • Launch of a data science lunch and learn series for faculty, students, and staff housed in the new Data and Decision Sciences Building

Additionally, Woteki spearheaded the effort to develop a new master’s degree in data science. The degree, which was approved by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in early January, will launch in Fall 2025. This interdisciplinary degree is a collaboration between the College of Science and the College of Engineering, deriving its core curriculum from the mathematics, statistics, and computer science departments. Electives from additional departments across campus will also be offered.

With the CMDA program already holding a strong reputation with potential employers, the new master’s degree will further elevate Virginia Tech’s status as a place to educate data scientists of the future within the commonwealth.

Woteki, who joined the statistics faculty at Virginia Tech as a professor of practice in 2018, has accumulated more than 30 years of industry experience in statistics and data science; information technology strategy, development, and management; and IT consulting.

“I joined Virginia Tech in 2018 to work on several College of Science strategic initiatives,” said Woteki, who has also served as the program director of the part-time Master of Arts degree in data analysis and applied statistics based in Northern Virginia. “Returning to my alma mater to contribute to these initiatives has been a privilege and one of the highlights of my career. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve in this way.”

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