University Data Science Committee

University Data Science Committee

The MSU Data Science Program is governed under the general direction of the University Data Science Committee (UDSC).

Purpose

The purpose of the UDSC shall be to grow Mississippi State University (MSU) through data science research, teaching, and service, as well as advancing the art of the field of data science.

To achieve this purpose, the UDSC will

  • Facilitate intellectual innovations and promote the intellectual contributions of MSU faculty to internal and external audiences.
  • Promote and encourage ethical and trustworthy scholarship in data science.
  • Advance education and training in data science through innovative curriculum content and delivery.
  • Advocate for data science infrastructure, coordinate existing resources, and identify needs for required technologies to be made available to internal and external stakeholders.
  • Develop and expand applications of data science through coordinated research, teaching, and community engagement.
  • Develop relationships with local, national, and international partners.
  • Recruit and retain high-quality students for the data science degree programs and courses.
  • Expand the footprint of data science as a discipline throughout courses and research occurring across MSU units.

In pursuing these objectives, the UDSC serves students, faculty, researchers, staff at MSU and beyond, as well as the public sector and business community.

Responsibilities

The UDSC is responsible for advancing the state of data science at MSU through the following functions:

  • Coordinating the Bachelor of Science in Data Science, the graduate certificate in Data Science Pedagogy, and future data science degree programs proposed by the committee.
  • Reviewing and approving curriculum proposals once approved by their respective colleges for the bachelor’s degree program before they are submitted to the University Committee on Courses & Curricula.
  • Coordinating accreditation and assessment efforts for the bachelor’s degree program and courses.
  • Continuously assessing existing curriculum in the bachelor’s degree program to be up to date with the state of the field.
  • Reviewing capstone projects and coordinating student internship and research opportunities for majors in the BS in Data Science.
  • Supporting the growth of existing data science-related programs on campus, such as the Master of Science in Data Science, the graduate certificate in Computational Biology, and the undergraduate endorsement in Cyber Criminology.
  • Advocating for resources and opportunities that support data science education and research at MSU.
  • Recruiting and retaining students interested in data science degrees, careers, and research opportunities.
  • Promoting data science–related research and events.
  • Developing domestic and global partnerships with industry, educational institutions, and community partners.
  • Promoting data science through study abroad opportunities.

By-Laws and Other Documents

Current By-Laws (Adopted 11/30/2022): Download

Bachelor's Capstone Guidelines (Latest, November 2024): Download

Committee Members

Below is the current membership of the University Data Science Committee, updated May 2025.

Chair

Will Davis

Bagley College of Engineering

Andy Perkins, Ed Swan

College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Will Davis, Federico Hoffmann

College of Architecture, Art, & Design

Bimal Balakrishnan, Mahdi Ghafoori

College of Arts & Sciences

Mohammad Sepehrifar, Dean Schafer

College of Business

Stephen France, Merrill Warkentin

College of Education

Kim Hall, Megan Holmes

College of Forest Resources

Jason Street, Guiming Wang

College of Veterinary Medicine

Bindu Nanduri, Hasan Tekedar

Data Science

Mimmo Parisi, Jonathan Barlow

MSU Library

Carolina Siniscalchi, Julie Shedd

College of Professional & Continuing Studies

Sean Owen, Ryan Walker

Meridian Campus

Seungjae Shin

Provost and Executive Vice President

Peter Ryan



Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies

Jamie Dyer



Office of Admissions and Scholarships

John Dickerson



Information Technology Services

Trey Breckenridge



Honors College

Undergraduate Research and Creative Discovery

Anastasia Elder