Dr. Michael Hilgers has been named interim chair of Missouri University of Science and Technology’s business and information technology (BIT) department. His appointment begins Friday, June 18.

Hilgers takes over for Dr. Keng Siau, a professor of business and information technology who has served as chair of the department since 2012.

Hilgers is a professor of business and information technology at Missouri S&T. In addition to teaching courses in the department, he researches modeling and simulating business analytics and data science. Hilgers’ past funded projects include virtual reality research to provide training for first responders and miners, as well as learning system development with applications in geospatial information systems. His current research uses stochastic geometry in modeling information visualization.

“Since the day Mike Hilgers joined the faculty at S&T, he has continually proven himself to be an outstanding educator,” says Dr. Kate Drowne, interim vice provost and dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business at S&T. “I am grateful to his predecessor, Dr. Keng Siau, for his willingness to help Mike make this leadership transition as smooth as possible. I have tremendous confidence that Mike will be a very successful, effective and engaged interim chair, and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Hilgers joined the Missouri S&T faculty as a visiting assistant professor of mathematics and statistics in 1992. He has served as an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, an associate professor of computer science and information science and technology, and a professor of information science and technology. He earned two Faculty Excellence Awards, Outstanding Teaching Awards in three separate years, the Dean’s Teaching Scholar Award in 2005, and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business 2021 Faculty Teaching Award.

“As interim program director, I will strive to continue our department’s ability to provide a high-quality experience for all of our BIT students,” says Hilgers. “I hope to also serve the faculty well in the year ahead with my experiences with both the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation and the promotion and tenure process.”

Hilgers earned a bachelor of science degree in computer science in 1985 and a master of science degree in mathematics and engineering mechanics in 1988, both from Missouri S&T. He earned a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Brown University in 1992.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,600 students and part of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 99 different degree programs in 40 areas of study and is ranked by CollegeFactual as the best public university to study engineering. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.