We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Gurdip Singh as the divisional dean of the School of Computing and as a professor in the College of Engineering and Computing. The School of Computing, together with the Volgenau School of Engineering, comprise Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing.
Singh will officially join George Mason University on August 1, 2022, but will then be assigned to the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) to complete his work there as Director, Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS) in the Computer and Information Science Engineering (CISE) Directorate. He will join Mason full-time in January 2023.
As division director, he oversees 27 program officers, 12 administrative staff, and a budget of $240 million. Sanjeev Setia, who has been leading the School of Computing as interim divisional dean, will continue on as acting divisional dean until that time.
Singh earned his MS and PhD in computer science from SUNY, Stony Brook, in 1989 and 1991 respectively, and his B.Tech in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in 1986. Singh is an accomplished researcher and educator whose experience aligns well with our plans for the growth and development of academic and multidisciplinary research programs in our School of Computing, completion of the Fuse Building at Mason Square, broadening participation in the Tech Talent Investment Program (TTIP), and advancing inclusive excellence throughout the school.
Prior to his work at NSF, Singh was associate dean for research and graduate programs of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University. He also served as a program director in the Division of Computer and Network Systems in the CISE Directorate at NSF from July 2014 to August 2016. From 2009 to 2014, he was the head of the Computer Science Department at Kansas State University, and graduate program director from 2006 to 2009. His service to engineering education includes a stint on the Board of Directors of the ASEE Engineering Research Council from 2018 to 2020.
Singh has served on numerous program committees, advisory boards, panels, workshops, and other engagements as invited speaker at both domestic and international venues. He is a strong advocate of multidisciplinary teaching and research and building academic-industry partnerships. He was instrumental in starting several multidisciplinary programs and academic-industry partnerships at NSF. He has also been involved in significant curriculum development, K-12 outreach, and diversity initiatives.
His research and teaching interests include real-time embedded systems, sensor networks, network protocols, and distributed computing. His research has been funded by NSF, ARO, National Institutes of Health, DARPA and several industrial organizations. He received the NSF Research Initiation Award in 1992 and the NSF CAREER Award in 1995.
Please join us in welcoming Professor Gurdip Singh to the College of Engineering and Computing and George Mason University.