People

Get to know more about our faculty, staff and students in Computer Science!

FACULTY

Charlie Peck

Professor of Computer Science

I graduated from Earlham College in 1984 with a self-designed major in Computer Science. After 12 years of software engineering and tech startups I discovered teaching, first as an adjunct and slowly moving to a full-time, tenured position at Earlham over the next 12 years. My current research interests are in archaeology, biology, geography, glaciology, and hardware/software for field science. Before I fell into field science in 2013 I worked on database systems, parallel and distributed/high performance computing, and computational science projects. Currently, I am the faculty advisor to the WebDev group, and one of the leaders of Earlham’s Icelandic Field Studies program. 

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doug harms

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

I truly believe in the value of small, liberal arts colleges and thoroughly enjoy teaching computer science at Earlham.  Over the years I have taught a full range of CS courses, from 100-level introductory courses to advanced upper level undergraduate courses, and have conducted research with undergraduate students.  I enjoy working with students as we wrestle with issues about ethical and appropriate use of technology, and I continue to work on ways for students to incorporate community engagement into their college experience.

I also relish opportunities to work with students in areas outside of computer science.  For example, at my previous institution I led courses to San Diego, Mexico, El Salvador, and Nicaragua, and during these experiences my students and I studied power relationships and privilege while living in and working with partner communities.  I also worked with students to refurbish donated computer systems and distribute these systems to qualifying local families and non-profit organizations.

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Javier Orduz

Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Javier Orduz is a visiting assistant professor at EC, he was a Research Scholar and instructor of Computer Science at Baylor University in Texas, and worked at UNAM (Mexico) for five years as a Postdoctoral and Associate Professor before arriving in the USA. He also coordinates QMexico (http://qmexico.org/), an academic community interested in promoting Quantum Computing in Latin America. Javier participates as a mentor in the LatinX community (https://www.latinxinai.org/), and has experience teaching and researching Quantum Machine Learning, Quantum Computing, Machine Learning, and applications. Javier Orduz loves Mathematics, Physics, and Computing, and he promotes science in Latin America with a high interest in technology.

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Debanjali Banerjee

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Debanjali was born and raised in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. She got her Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She was a research assistant for three consecutive summers at IRI, UL Lafayette. Her research areas are Deep Learning, SHAP, and Artificial Intelligence. She worked at WBUT (India) as an assistant instructor for seven months before arriving to USA. She participated as a review committee member at the 22nd Annual Graduate Student Symposium at UL Lafayette and volunteered as participating judge at Region VI Science and Engineering Fair in 2023 & 2022. She envisions creating an inclusive learning environment that fosters critical thinking and academic excellence, while also pushing the boundaries of knowledge through innovative research initiatives

Yunting Yin

Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Yunting obtained her PhD degree in Computer Science at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she was honored with Chairman’s fellowship and Inclusive Computing Fellowship. Her research interests include speech processing and natural language processing, with specific focuses on vocal aging analysis and large language model evaluation. As a woman researcher in computer science, she is committed to building supportive communities that foster diversity, equity and inclusion. Her passion lies in teaching and guiding students in both academics and professional development. Her goal as an educator is to actively introduce students to the field of engineering and inspire them to pursue engineering careers, as well as to promote ethical and socially responsible AI Research.

Porter Libby

Computational System Manager for CS

As the Computational System Manager, Porter works on technical and academic projects for the department. Most of his time is spent serving as faculty adviser for the System Administration Applied Group, which manages the servers the department runs to facilitate education and research. He also contributes to department operation and events, assists in research, courses, and collaborates on interdepartmental tasks. He graduated from Earlham in 2020 with a BA in Computer Science.

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Staff

Bobbi Cayard-Roberts

Administrative Assistant

As the administrative assistant to the CS, Math, and Physics Departments, Bobbi manages the day-to-day operations of the departments. Bobbi and her minions take care of making copies, placing orders, doing accounting, and re-stocking the M&M’s (among so many other things). They work hard to keep the second floor of CST a fun and inviting place to be. Bobbi, an Earlham alum graduated in 2002, has been in this position since March of 2008. Her husband, an alum ’02 with a degree in CS, also works for Earlham College.

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Student representative

The student representative for the Computer Science department meets weekly with faculty to provide a student view in discussions, as well as to inform students and help organize upcoming events relevant to their educational experiences. The representative is available to listen to student concerns, and expresses them in a meaningful way to the department faculty. He/She also helps gather student input for the professors.

Sharon Wong

Student Representative

Meet Sharon, a driven junior Student Representative for the Computer Science Department, pursuing double majors in Computer Science and Neuroscience. As the Student Representative, Sharon bridges students and faculty, ensuring their voices are heard. She adeptly connects students and faculty, excelling in communication and empathy. Whether gathering feedback, improving the learning environment, or organizing events, Sharon’s leadership shines. Passionate about diversity, she champions inclusivity and supports underrepresented groups, emphasizing equitable opportunities for departmental unity. Additionally, she leads the Google Development Student Club, fostering computer science in the Earlham community.