Dr. Raquel Assis Appointed Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

Dr. Raquel Assis is the newly appointed Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering and Computer Science. She holds a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from the University of Michigan and has a strong research background focused on developing innovative methods to understand the relationships between genotype and phenotype. Dr. Assis completed her NIH postdoctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley and later joined the faculty at Penn State before transitioning to FAU's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 2019. Her work bridges biology and computational sciences, contributing to both research and graduate education.

With regards to her research, Dr. Assis’ focus on transformative technologies like next-generation sequencing and AI have allowed exploration beyond basic DNA analysis. By developing advanced phylogenetic, statistical, and machine learning approaches, the focus of her work has been on understanding gene functions and their evolution. Future research will explore links across biological scales—from genes to proteins to cellular functions, inspired by tools like Google’s Alpha Fold, which enables precise, AI-driven protein structure predictions. An interdisciplinary background across genomics, computer science, and statistics underscores a commitment to integrating these fields, revealing numerous potential educational and research opportunities.

For Dr. Assis, working in the College of Engineering and Computer Science is especially rewarding due to the strong sense of collegiality among faculty, staff, and students, all working collaboratively toward common goals in a dynamic field. As Associate Dean, a key focus is on advancing the graduate curriculum to keep pace with rapidly changing areas, following impactful initiatives like the introduction of Florida’s first M.S. in Artificial Intelligence, which was implemented under her predecessor. This aligns with a broader aim of contributing meaningfully to students' academic and professional growth, and Dr. Assis looks forward to continuing the forward trajectory.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science is pleased to welcome Dr. Raquel Assis to the team and looks forward to collaborating with her for years to come.