William & Mary Appoints Renowned Alumnus to Head New School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics

Douglas “Doug” Schmidt ’84, M.A. ’86, an internationally recognized scholar with more than three decades of experience in academic and government leadership roles, has been named the inaugural dean of William & Mary’s School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics.

The new school – the university’s first in more than 50 years – will launch officially in fall 2025 and advance William & Mary’s efforts to prepare students for success in a data-driven world.

Schmidt, a renowned computer scientist, currently serves as the director of Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E) for the U.S. Department of Defense. In that role, he is a senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense. A noted researcher and educator, Schmidt has served on the faculty at Vanderbilt University for more than two decades, holding such positions as associate provost and co-director of the Data Science Institute.

Schmidt studied sociology as an undergraduate and graduate student at W&M before earning a master’s degree and doctorate in computer science at the University of California, Irvine. This trajectory honed his ability to integrate the liberal arts and sciences with rapid technology innovation.

“Dr. Schmidt’s career exemplifies the success William & Mary aims for, for all our graduates,” said President Katherine A. Rowe. “From an exceptional liberal arts and sciences foundation he built the capacities needed for a rapidly changing data workforce. He has flourished as a respected leader in government, higher education and multiple industries. He understands at a personal and professional level what will differentiate our new school from the competition. We warmly welcome Dr. Schmidt back to William & Mary.”

Preparing students for success 

The idea for a new school at William & Mary to bring together computer science, data science, applied science and physics was initially raised by faculty members, spurred by an increased interest in those fields among students and employers. In just one decade, for example, the university’s combined total of bachelor’s degree graduates in computer science and physics grew by over 206%.

In spring 2022, the university began exploring the possibility of a school in consultation with faculty and staff around campus. William & Mary’s Board of Visitors voted unanimously in November 2023 to approve the proposed school’s administrative structure, and the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia approved the proposal for a new school in July.

As dean, Schmidt will be responsible for uniting the school’s four areas – computer science, data science, applied science and physics – into a cohesive academic unit and growing their research, grant funding and doctoral program enrollment. The school will be housed in the Integrated Science Center, which also holds such units as biology, chemistry, neuroscience and psychological sciences, creating increased opportunities for collaboration.

Schmidt will also be responsible for establishing a vision with strategic objectives that will ensure the school becomes nationally known as an inclusive and innovative leader in teaching and research. In addition, he will be charged with supporting faculty in their research, teaching and service work; leading fundraising efforts and the financial management of the school; and building or strengthening its strategic partnerships.

“Doug is a pioneering scholar and a prolific author with a strong commitment to service. An innovator through and through, he brings an energetic and collaborative spirit to his work that is a natural fit for a new school,” said Provost Peggy Agouris. “He is also a two-time William & Mary alumnus, which is an especially meaningful testament to the power of a W&M education. I’m thrilled to welcome Doug back to campus as he helps prepare new generations of students for careers that make a difference.”

A leader across government, industry and higher ed

Schmidt was appointed to his current position by U.S. President Joe Biden last year and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate this spring. As the DOT&E, he serves as senior advisor to the secretary of defense on testing and evaluating Department of Defense weapon systems. His office also provides independent reporting and unbiased assessments of system performance to Congress.

In his more than 20 years at Vanderbilt, he has held many roles, from associate chair of computer science and engineering through a number of leadership positions, including associate chair of the computer science department, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering in Computer Science and associate provost of research development and technologies. He was instrumental in building Vanderbilt’s digital learning initiatives, launching that school’s first massive open online course in 2013 and continually developing innovative programs to serve students. In 2022, Fortune magazine ranked Vanderbilt’s online Computer Science professional master’s degree number one in the nation.

Throughout his career, he has worked at a number of other leading universities, including the University of California, Irvine; Trinity College Dublin; and Washington University, Saint Louis. He was also visiting scientist and chief technology officer for the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

Schmidt and his family have remained closely connected to William & Mary since his graduation, and his parents created the Schmidt Family Cyber Technology Speaker Series Endowment. Last year, Schmidt gave a lecture on the future of artificial intelligence-augmented research and education as part of that series during Homecoming & Reunion Weekend.

“As an undergraduate and graduate student with degrees in sociology from William & Mary, I couldn’t have conceived of where I’d end up: coming back to alma mater to serve as the inaugural dean of its first new school in more than 50 years,” said Schmidt. “I am thrilled beyond words at this incredible opportunity, and my partner Karen Perry and I look forward to joining the entire community in January. My mother — who graduated from William & Mary in 1960 — and father are also looking forward to returning to Williamsburg, which is a place they love.”

Following his W&M education, Schmidt became an internationally respected researcher whose work focuses on patterns, optimization techniques and empirical analyses of frameworks and model-driven engineering tools that facilitate the development of distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) middleware frameworks and mobile cloud computing applications. His most recent research focuses on prompt engineering techniques and prompt patterns that enhance large language models (LLMs) and generative augmented intelligence platforms.

He is a highly cited author with almost 50,000 citations to date and has published more than 700 papers and co-authored more than 10 books. He has also developed widely-used open-source DRE middleware, model-driven engineering tools and mobile cloud computing apps.

In addition to higher education, Schmidt has served in a number of roles with government agencies. He worked as a program manager and deputy office director for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and served as a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and an advisory board for the joint Navy/Army Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) initiative. He was also co-chair for the federal government’s Software Design and Productivity Coordinating Group, a collaborative IT research effort between major federal science and technology agencies. Schmidt has also worked for a number of private companies, including Prism Technologies and Zircon Computing.

William & Mary launched an international search for a dean of the School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics last year. The search committee included faculty, staff and students and was chaired by Derek Aday, dean of the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences and director of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.