Author Biography

Elena Gortcheva, PhD, is the program director of data analytics at UMGC. She joined UMGC in 2003 after a 15-year computer engineering career in academia as a professor/researcher and industry consultant. Gortcheva has employed her professional experience in career-relevant curricula development, focusing on industry partnership and supporting active job placement programs. She has implemented a wide array of advanced technologies and innovative approaches to support and enrich student’s learning experience including industry-oriented capstone projects with NASA, USAID, AIR, Department of Defense, and FAA.

Her professional interests include machine learning, predictive analytics, deep learning, intelligent systems, artificial intelligence, and emerging technology. In 2014, she joined the organizing committee of the International Big Data Education Conference (BDAEdCon) that brings together educators and industry partners to exchange knowledge and ideas to better prepare professionals for the workforce. Gortcheva has a master’s degree in electronic engineering and a PhD in computer engineering from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.