News

Professor Matthew Lease, who has taught at the School of Information (iSchool) since 2009, has been recognized with two “Test of Time” awards. These awards recognize the enduring impact of research papers published over a decade ago. Congratulations on this significant accomplishment, Dr. Lease!

We are saddened that Dr. Donald G. Davis, Professor Emeritus at the School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, has passed away. Dr. Davis was an esteemed faculty member at the iSchool for thirty-four years and a leading expert in library history.

Twenty faculty members, students, and two recent graduates from The University of Texas at Austin School of Information presented at the 27th ACM SIGCHI Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW) in San José, Costa Rica, on November 9-13, 2024. CSCW is the premier venue for research in the design and use of technologies that affect groups, organizations, communities, and networks.

Several faculty members and doctoral students represented The University of Texas at Austin School of Information at the 2024 Association for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) Annual Meeting, which was held in Calgary, Canada from October 25-29. The theme of the conference was “Putting People First: Responsibility, Reciprocity, and Care in Information Research and Practice.”

The University of Texas at Austin has been chosen to lead a new institute that harnesses artificial intelligence to explore some of the leading mysteries of the universe, including dark matter and the fundamentals related to the search for life. Housed in UT’s Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, the NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins will be funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Simons Foundation.

The School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin is pleased to announce that five new faculty members have joined the iSchool in the 2024-2025 academic year. “I am excited to support our new faculty members in their success and look forward to the positive impact they will have in the iSchool,” Interim Dean Soo Young Rieh said. “Their expertise and passion for teaching and research will greatly enrich the UT iSchool’s scholarly community, which has experienced significant growth in recent years.”

Interim Dean Soo Young Rieh has recommended Dr. James Howison to serve as the iSchool’s interim Associate Dean for Research starting August 15th. In his new role, Dr. Howison will develop and implement strategic research initiatives, support faculty research endeavors, and promote iSchool research excellence and impact within UT and beyond for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Dr. Soo Young Rieh, who was appointed interim Dean of the School of Information last month, has recommended Dr. R. David Lankes to serve as the iSchool’s interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs starting July 15th. Dr. Lankes joined the iSchool in 2021 as the Virginia and Charles Bowden Professor of Librarianship and formerly served as the interim Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Affairs in 2022-2023.

Dean Eric T. Meyer, who was appointed the eighth dean of the School of Information in 2018, will conclude his tenure as dean this summer. He will remain in his role until July 14th.

On Friday, May 10th, the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin celebrated the graduating Class of 2024. Excited graduates, their families, faculty, staff, and friends of the iSchool gathered at Bass Concert Hall for the event, which was also live streamed on the iSchool’s website for guests who were unable to attend or preferred to watch virtually. This event was particularly special for undergraduate seniors and their families who were experiencing an in-person graduation for the first time as many of their high school graduations were interrupted by COVID in 2020.