CS Staffing Changes for 2020-21 (July 16, 2020)

From: Ameet B Soni
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2020
Subject: [All] Staffing Changes Swarthmore Computer Science 2020-21

Dear Computer Science community,

In this email, I want to update you on staffing changes.

First, I am Prof. Ameet Soni, and I am the new Chair of the Computer
Science Department. We have been working tirelessly this summer trying to
adapt our curriculum to meet the learning and safety needs of our students.
I hope to be in regular communication with all of you as we continue to
adapt. You can also take a look at our contact information page for who to
contact for specific requests (e.g., placement exams, transfer credits).

Next, we are very excited to introduce two new faculty members - Prof.
Spencer Caplan and Prof. Ben Mitchell.

Ben Mitchell '05 joins us most recently from Villanova University, where
he was an Assistant Professor in Computer Science. Ben completed his Ph.D.
at Johns Hopkins University and his B.A. at Swarthmore. His research
interests are in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Computer
Ethics. In his free time, Ben is also interested in the performance arts
(if singing or dancing in public is ever a thing again), as well as
reading, gardening, and gaming. He has a pet Ball Python who is older than
his students. Prof. Mitchell will be teaching CPSC 63 Artificial
Intelligence in the Fall.

Spencer Caplan joins us from the University of Pennsylvania, where he is
currently completing his Ph.D. in Linguistics. Previously, Spencer attended
Brown University where he majored in Computer Science and Linguistics. His
research interests are in computational linguistics (modeling real-time
language processing and acquisition) and natural language processing. In
his free time, Spencer is also a competitive ballroom dancer. Prof. Caplan
will be teaching CPSC 65 Natural Language Processing in the Fall.

Lastly, we have several faculty on leave this year. Prof. Kevin Webb
and Prof.  Lila Fontes are on leave for the Fall and Spring semesters. Prof. Lisa
Meeden will be on leave in the Spring. Prof. Richard Wicentowski, Prof.
Andrew Danner, and I are returning from leave. Be sure to look up your
course advisor as many of you will be reassigned to reflect these changes.

Ameet Soni
Chair and Associate Professor
Computer Science
Swarthmore College