The new dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences recalled sitting in a 300-seat auditorium as an undergraduate in his home country of Germany as his professor lectured straight from the course’s book.
Englert
“After a while, you learn nothing,” recounted Burkhard Englert, the former chair of Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department and interim chair in Biomedical Engineering at California State Long Beach.
The experience prompted Englert to continue his studies overseas. He’d go on to earn his Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of Connecticut. He then became an adjunct assistant professor in computing at UCLA, where he received a distinguished teaching award in the math department.
Engaged learning is important to Englert. He was attracted to UNC in part because
of the College of Natural and Health Sciences diverse offerings and collaborative
spirit. He’s intrigued by the prospect of forming more interdisciplinary connections
in the college and beyond to attract new students.
“That’s the modern degree, where you look at different disciplines, you look at different
directions,” he said. “Students have to be able to solve problems, and that’s what
companies are looking for.”
The computing expert compares it to his own field of study. His current focus, machine
learning, analyzes “huge amounts of data so we can solve problems. That’s extremely
important right now.”
Englert started at UNC in July following Ellen Gregg’s retirement.
“I’m excited to be here,” he said. “It’s a great job. It’s a great college. It’s interesting
because of the college’s combination … there’s science, there’s health, there’s sports
science — which normally aren’t together in a college. It’s really helpful because
it forces people here to work together. I think it could be really beneficial as we
move forward.”
Because, above all else, “we need to make sure to keep students here and engaged.”
Meet Burkhard Englert
- Title: Dean of UNC’s College of Natural and Health Sciences
- Previously: Chair of Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department and interim chair in Biomedical Engineering at California State Long Beach; adjunct assistant professor in computing at UCLA.
- Research interests: Distributed computing, distributed algorithms, computer security, machine learning and transportation network modeling and optimization.
- Away from the office: Englert is an avid runner. He used to log 10 miles a day six days a week.
- By Bus and Train: As a youth, Englert visited the United States twice before moving here. The German native traveled on public buses to tour the West. The other time, he took a train coast-to-coast and back.
Faces of UNC is an ongoing series featuring faculty and staff. Know someone who should be featured here? Email UNC News and PR.
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