Sara Hooshangi

Sara Hooshangi joined Virginia Tech in January 2020 as the founding director for the master of engineering degree in computer science (MEng-CS). The MEng-CS degree is the first new degree program for the university’s future Innovation Campus. She is responsible for shaping this program into a rigorous but flexible offering for students with diverse backgrounds to prepare them for employment in the fast-growing tech industry in the greater Washington, D.C., metro area. She is also a faculty member in the department of computer science and teaches courses in data visualization and capstone design.

Hooshangi’s previous experience includes ten years at the George Washington University, where she was the founding director for the Integrated Information, Science, and Technology program, a bachelor’s degree completion program designed for community college students and working professionals. In that role, she helped non-traditional students and adult learners receive a technical degree, graduate on time, and enter the D.C. area tech workforce. She also served as an associate professor in the College of Professional Studies and taught courses on subjects including programming, data analytics and visualization, and ethics in technology.

Hooshangi’s research interests are in the area of engineering and undergraduate education, with an emphasis on the role of technology in improving learning outcomes for non-traditional students and increasing student diversity in the STEM fields. In 2014, she received a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation to provide scholarships funding and programmatic support low-income students in her program.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from McGill University and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Princeton University.