Dr. Seung-Jong “Jay” Park has been named Kummer Endowed Chair of Computer Science at Missouri S&T effective Aug. 1.

Park comes to S&T from the National Science Foundation (NSF), where he has served as a program director and managed computer science-related research projects since 2021. He has also served as the Dr. Fred H. Fenn Memorial Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Louisiana State University since 2004, taking a leave of absence two years ago to support the NSF.

“My vision for the computer science department is to provide our students with a world-class education while also conducting research that will help shape and improve the world,” Park says. “I am excited to work with the amazing students and faculty at Missouri S&T and lead a state-of-the-art department that focuses on technologies including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, big data and other pressing topics.”

Park is an expert in the areas of networking and data-intensive computing. He has conducted research related to big data and deep learning focused on software frameworks for large-scale science applications and cybersecurity development for cloud computing, high-performance computing and high-speed networks.

His projects have received support from federal and state programs including the NSF, NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the Office of Naval Research and the Air Force Research Laboratory. He also received IBM faculty research awards from 2015 to 2017.

Park earned a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds a master’s degree in computer science from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon, South Korea, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Korea University, in Seoul, South Korea.

Park takes over from Dr. Steve Gao, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering, who has served as interim chair since September 2022.

Dr. David Borrok, vice provost and dean of the College of Engineering, says he appreciates Gao’s service as interim chair, and he is excited to see where Park takes the department.

“Dr. Gao is a fantastic leader and has done an excellent job leading this department,” he says. “Now, Dr. Park will be able to step into this role and take our computer science programs to the next level.”

The Kummer Endowed Chair of Computer Science at Missouri S&T was made possible by June Kummer and her late husband, Fred Kummer, a 1955 graduate of S&T. In October 2020, the couple made a transformative $300 million gift to the university and established the Kummer Institute for Student Success, Research and Economic Development.  

For more information about Missouri S&T’s computer science department, visit cs.mst.edu.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System and located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 101 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top 10 universities for return on investment, according to Business Insider. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.