Computer Science and Software Engineering: Faculty & Staff
Department Chair
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpsorenson/
- Semester schedule: https://blue.butler.edu/~jsorenso/ (forgive the 1990s style :))
- Publication Lists: Butler Profile, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, MathSciNet, ACM-DL, ORCHID
- CSSE department home: https://www.butler.edu/computer-science
Teaching
I have been teaching at Butler since 1991. Courses I commonly teach include CS142 Intro to Programming and Computer Science (in C++), CS248 Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures in Java, CS321 Computer Organization, CS151 Foundations of Computer Science (discrete math), and CS458 Cryptography. In the past, I have also taught operating systems, compiler design, EPICS, algorithms, databases, computer ethics, parallel algorithms, and even modern algebra. I also teach a course on Alan Turing in the university honors program from time to time.
Research
My research interest is in algorithms for problems from number theory. In particular, I’m interested in algorithms for computing greatest common divisors, for listing and detecting prime numbers, and for factoring large integers. I often use Big Dawg, Butler’s cluster supercomputer, in my work. I’ve published many papers with former Butler students.
I studied computer science and mathematics as an undergraduate at Valparaiso University, and as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Eric Bach was my thesis advisor.
Service
I served as Department Chair for Computer Science & Software Engineering from 2005-2020, as Chair of Faculty Senate from 2020-2024, as Interim Associate Dean of LAS for the 2025-26 academic year, and once again as Department Chair today. I often volunteer for NexTech.
Staff
Faculty
Zhihong Chen is a professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Butler University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1982 and a master degree in 1985, both are in Mathematics from South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, P R. China. He came to the U.S. in 1985 to work for his Ph.D. degree. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics as well as two more master degrees, one in Computer Science and one in Mathematics from Wayne State University, Michigan. His primary research area is in Graph theory. Besides his over 30 years’ experience in academia, he has also worked on a CAD software (Computer Aid Design) used by auto companies and software for pollution analysis funded by the Department of Energy. His research publication can be found at: https://blue.butler.edu/~chen/ChenPaper.htm
Ankur Gupta is a Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Butler University. Dr. Gupta completed his undergraduate work and a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Texas at Dallas. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Duke University. Dr. Gupta’s research area focuses on the design of algorithms that compress large volumes of data, while simultaneously making them searchable (think Google search or Big Data). Dr. Gupta has also pursued unique research on Artificial Wisdom, in other words, trying to discover the meaning of “wisdom” from a computational point of view. This work was funded by the John Templeton Foundation.
Dr. Haque has received his PhD from Marquette University in 2012 and finished his postdoctoral fellowship from University of Alabama, Birmingham. Prior to joining Butler, he has worked at the University of Indianapolis (faculty) and Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering, Purdue University (research scientist). Dr. Haque has been doing extensive research and development in Healthcare with Mobile computing for the last 8 years. He has received grants from NIMH, NIH,USAID and Gates Foundation on developing mobile phone-based tools in the domain of healthcare and research capacity building. He has a strong background in mobile computing and developed mobile applications for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), maternal and child health (MCH), pain management, patient monitoring, point of care diagnostics, and long-term care. Dr. Haque has successfully led these projects in resource constrained settings of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Bangladesh, Kenya, and Uganda. His expertise and experience have prepared me to lead the design, development, and deployment of the proposed project. Dr. Haque led a team that developed the very first mobile-based remote symptom monitoring system named e-ESAS for the terminally ill cancer patients in Bangladesh. This project received the first National e-Content andICT4D Award 2010 – Bangladesh. He has published in 50+peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and workshop papers and received six best paper/poster awards in his career.
Teaching interest: CS142 Intro to Programming and Computer Science (in C++), CS248Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures in Java, CS 341 Advanced Data Structures in C++, EPICS, CS 151 Foundations of Computing, and CS 351 Algorithms.
Panos Linos is a professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Butler University since 2000. He served as the interim department chairperson during the fall 2019 semester. Following that, he has accepted the challenge to serve another 3-year term as a chairperson during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before joining Butler, he was the chairperson of the Computer Science department at Tennessee Technological University. Dr. Linos has more than 30 years of academic and consulting experience. He enjoys teaching online and in-person courses on topics such as Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Agile Software Development and Mobile App Development. He teaches and manages the EPICS program at Butler, where he supervises student teams developing software for nonprofit organizations. His on-going research activities focus on developing innovative tools and techniques to facilitate the modernization of legacy software systems. He is a former or current consultant to various organizations including the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Kaman Sciences Corporation, PLTW (Project Lead The Way) and Sallie Mae where he has been engaged in various projects including cloud migration strategies of industrial-strength software systems. He received M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science and Software Engineering from Wayne State University.
Welcome!
I am a 2007 graduate (B.S.) of the Computer Science & Software Engineering program. Upon graduation, I worked for 2+ years as a software engineer at Sallie Mae, Inc. in Fishers, IN. This was an excellent position but I felt a calling in a different direction and during this time I decided to pursue graduate studies. In 2010, I earned an M.S. in Computer Science from Purdue University (Indianapolis) and in 2015 earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Purdue University (Indianapolis) under the guidance of Dr. Rajeev R. Raje. I have a strong passion for education and want to see each and every student succeed! My areas of teaching interest include: CS1 – Introduction to Computer Programming (CS 142), all of the Software Engineering curriculum (SE 461, SE 462, and SE 463), CS2 – Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures in Java (CS 248), Advanced Data Structures in C++ (CS 341), Distributed Computing, and Programming Languages (CS 441).
My research interest is in the area of Computer Science Education with additional interests, and ongoing work, in the fields of Software Engineering as well as Distributed Computing. In particular, I am currently focused on examining the impact of programming language selection and its relationship with natural language learning for CS1 and CS2 courses. A sub-topic in this area is the impact of peer code reviews on programming fluency during this learning process. I am also interested in exploring the relationship between socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds with respect to their inclusion and participation in STEM fields – particularly Computer Science. I have also published work in the area of sensor subset selection with a focus on the analysis of trust and reliability as selection criteria for the service selection process. This particular project, eDOTS, involves using inexpensive sensing devices (smart phones, web cameras, Wi-Fi access points, etc.) to accurately locate the position of an object in an indoor environment. I am always willing and open to explore new ideas in these areas and welcome any student wishing to explore any topic further. My publications are listed and maintained on my personal website, you may also find them on Google Scholar.
For my semester teaching schedule and more information you can visit my website: https://blue.butler.edu/~rrybarcz/
Go Dawgs!
Kelly Van Busum is Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Butler University. She holds a B.A. with a double major in Computer Science and Education, an M.S. in Computer Science, an M.A. in Sociology, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science. Dr. Van Busum’s research interests lie at the intersection of computing and social justice, and her current focus is on bias identification and mitigation in Artificial Intelligence. She also studies the development of problem-solving and enjoys experimenting with innovative methods for teaching computing. Dr. Van Busum is developing a STEM club for elementary school students, and is also working with a non-profit to integrate Artificial Intelligence into software used to help children in underdeveloped countries learn to read. She strongly believes in the benefits of a liberal arts education, and truly enjoys engaging with students, so please feel free to reach out and say hello!
