Dr. Susamma (Susan) Barua

Dr. Susan Barua is the Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) at California State University, Fullerton. She received her Ph.D degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and joined CSUF faculty in 1988. She has been a Professor of Computer Science and Computer Engineering. Dr. Barua served as the Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science from July 2016 to May 2018. Prior to the appointment as Interim Dean, Dr. Barua served eight years as the Associate Dean of the college from 2008 to 2016.

Under her leadership as the Dean, the college put into practice initiatives to improve the academic preparation of first-time freshmen, increase student retention and graduation rates, reduce time to degree, and close the opportunity gap among underrepresented and first-generation students. She guided the development and implementation of proactive strategies aimed at increasing the diversity and inclusiveness of engineering and computer science students at Cal State Fullerton. She has increased support for faculty research, professional development and travel. Several areas in the college have been repurposed and renovated to create space for faculty research and student projects. Collaboration across campus, with external community, industry, and donors is on the rise. The Corporate Partners Program launched under her direction has enhanced engagement opportunities for corporate partners and strengthened the college’s ability to connect students with industries for sponsored projects, internships, and full-time employment. She also led three successful ABET accreditation visits in 2008, 2014 and 2021.

Dr. Barua led the development of the BS degree program in Computer Engineering, first as the chair of the steering committee and later as the coordinator of the program for nearly 10 years. During this period, an MS and a four-year Integrated BS-MS degrees were added, new faculty members were hired and the research activities significantly increased. 

The research contributions, external funding record and scholarly productivity of Dr. Barua are extensive. Her research interests include computer performance analysis, high performance computing, computer networking, web-based database and interactive multimedia systems. She has authored more than 30 technical articles and supervised nearly 125 graduate research projects. She is the recipient of several external grants, such as the NSF "ECS Academic Catalyst for Excellence (ACE) Scholarship Program”, NSF "CSUF ADVANCE IT-Catalyst Project" and the Department of Labor “Orange County Bridge to Engineering Project” to name a few.

Dr. Barua’s service record at CSUF is vast and impressive. She has served on a number of college and university committees, including the Planning, Resource and Budget Committee, University Curriculum Committee, Faculty Development and Education Innovation Committee, Faculty Affairs Committee, Outstanding Professor Committee, University Advancement Committee and Closing the Gap Taskforce. She was a member of the Academic Senate from 1999 through 2002 and has served on many important search committees in the university.

A recipient of Outstanding Service and Outstanding Teacher/Scholar awards several times, Dr. Barua is a leader in engineering educational reform and is an experienced developer of innovative education programs. She has been actively involved in mentoring female and underrepresented students in computing for most of her career. She served as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Education and is a Golden Core Member of the IEEE Computer Society.