Dr. Mehrdad Aliasgari Named Dean of the College of Information, Data, and Society

Sent: January 28, 2025

From: Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dear Campus Community,

I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Mehrdad Aliasgari will serve as the new Dean for the College of Information, Data, and Society, beginning June 2, 2025. Dr. Aliasgari’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for our campus, as advancements in library science, data science, cybersecurity, and generative AI reshape our world. His leadership, building on the outstanding programs in our internationally recognized iSchool and Department of Applied Data Science, will position the college to address society’s most pressing challenges while fostering innovation and preparing future leaders.

Dr. Aliasgari comes from California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) where he joined the Computer Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) department in 2013 and has served as Chair since 2019. His research lies at the intersection of cybersecurity and machine learning, with 34 peer-reviewed publications and over $1.1 million in externally funded research, including initiatives to increase the recruitment and retention of women and historically underserved communities in the field of computing. As Chair, he has overseen nearly 2,300 students, 60 faculty, and 4 staff, while leading remarkable growth, including a 600-student enrollment increase and the doubling of graduate program enrollment. Dr. Aliasgari also spearheaded the creation of CSULB’s interdisciplinary B.S. in Applied Data Science, which integrates domain-specific applications, such as health analytics and computational linguistics, with service learning throughout the curriculum. He is a CSULB President and Provost Leadership Fellow, a senator to the Academic Senate of the California State University, and was selected for the prestigious 2023 cohort of the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

I extend my gratitude to the search committee for their diligent work and to Mike Meth for his exceptional leadership as Interim Dean during this transition. Dean Meth will stay on as Interim Dean until Dr. Aliasgari arrives in June.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Aliasgari to our campus community as we look forward to the bright future of the College of Information, Data and Society under his guidance.

Sincerely,

Vincent J. Del Casino, Jr.
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs