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Richard A. DeMillo leads the College of Computing at Georgia Tech, one of the highest-ranking computer science programs in the country. His return to academia after a career as an industry and government executive was somewhat of a homecoming, since he earned his Ph.D. at Tech and served as professor of Information and Computer Science at Tech from 1976-1987.
Before joining the College in 2002, DeMillo was chief technology officer for Hewlett-Packard (HP), where he had worldwide responsibility for technology and technology strategy. Prior to HP, DeMillo was in charge of information and computer sciences research at Telcordia Technologies. DeMillo has also directed the Computer and Computation Research division of the National Science Foundation and continues to be active in many aspects of the IT industry. He is a fellow of the ACM and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
As dean, DeMillo encourages a focus beyond basic computer science to include areas such as robotics, security, enterprise systems, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interaction. These interdisciplinary efforts demonstrate just how embedded computing is in all industries and fields of research. Our emphasis is not only on the technology itself, but how it affects people’s lives and the world, says DeMillo. For instance, the College of Computing is looking at the health industry as a crucial area where computing will create major breakthroughs.
This inclusive approach doesn’t end with research. The College of Computing is also a national leader in faculty diversity, employing one of the largest percentages of women in a computer science program. During a time when the numbers are slipping nationally, DeMillo has led the College of Computing into growth, demonstrating increases in faculty, enrollment, funding, as well as the construction of the new Klaus Advanced Computing Building.
Reflecting on a career that has brought him to Tech once as a student and now twice as an educator, DeMillo calls his job as dean of Computing icing on the cake. | 