David Gotz named McColl Term Professor, promoted to full professorship
David Gotz, associate professor at the UNC School of Information and Library Science (SILS), has been appointed to serve as the next Frances Carroll McColl Term Professor through July 2023. Additionally, Gotz has been promoted to full professor at SILS, which will be effective Jan. 1, 2022.
“We are pleased to announce that Dr. Gotz has been promoted to professor at SILS. This promotion recognizes his international leadership in information visualization and data science applied to health informatics,” Gary Marchionini, dean and Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor, said. “Gotz also has been appointed McColl Term Professor at SILS.”
In addition to his work with SILS, Gotz serves as the Assistant Director for the Carolina Health Informatics Program (CHIP) and is an Associate Member at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He also conducts research related to the study and development of visual methods for information analysis and communication. His work is supported by a variety of public and private funding agencies, including multiple awards from NSF and NIH.
Gotz spent several years working in the IBM Research Intelligent Information Interaction Department, which he joined immediately after earning his doctorate in Computer Science from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2005. He earned his Master of Science in Computer Science from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2001 and graduated with highest honors from Georgia Tech in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a certificate in Economics. He was named a 2015 Data Fellow by the National Consortium for Data Science and a RTI University Scholar in 2019.
The McColl Professorship
Hugh McColl, Jr. established the McColl Professorship in memory of his mother, Frances Carroll McColl, and sister, Frances McColl Covington. Hugh McColl said he was inspired to create the professorship by the school’s needs and his mother’s love of literature.
“My mother taught everyone in the family to love books, and we have prospered from having access to them and, perhaps more important, knowing where to turn to find the information we need,” McColl said.
The McColl Professorship was established in 1994 to recognize faculty who have made notable contributions to research, teaching and service to SILS. It provides a salary supplement and funds for research and travel for a two-year term. A second McColl Term Professorship was made possible in 2005 thanks to support from Bill (BSBA ’55) and Sara McCoy and Duncan Smith (MSLS ’80).