NEWS
Date
The University of Oklahoma Polytechnic Institute has announced new faculty and staff hires. These faculty members add expertise in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and software development and integration. The addition of a Student Success Administrator provides leadership and support for OUPI students with a focus on admissions, retention, financial aid, and academic support services.
The OU Polytechnic Institute will serve as a workforce solution and align OU’s educational and research capabilities with the needs and opportunities of Oklahoma’s growing and dynamic tech-focused economy. The OU Polytechnic Institute’s cutting-edge curriculum – developed with industry partners – focuses on applied knowledge, answering the call for advanced technology growth and new jobs.
OUPI’s inaugural class of the cybersecurity bachelor’s completion program classes began this fall. In the fall of 2025, OUPI will offer three bachelor degree completion programs at OU-Tulsa:
· Cybersecurity
· Applied Artificial Intelligence
· Software Development and Integration
Future programs being considered for both bachelor’s completion and graduate-level degrees will be in digital manufacturing and health information systems.
New faculty and staff:
Sungbo Jung, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity
Dr. Jung is renowned for his contributions to web service development, efficient data center design and operation, and the construction of advanced cyber ranges. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Louisville.
Ahmed Ashraf Butt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Applied Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Butt’s primary research focuses on designing and developing educational technologies using emerging technologies that facilitate student learning and engagement. He received his Ph.D. in Engineering Education from the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. He also completed post-doctoral training at the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.
Chenggang Wang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity
Dr. Wang is the founder of the Data Security and Machine Intelligence (DSMI) Lab at OU. Dr. Wang directs research initiatives focused on critical areas, including designing and developing next-generation secure and accountable computing systems. Prior to joining academia, Dr. Wang worked at EMC, Nuance and Amazon. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Muhammad Sajid Riaz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Software Development and Integration
Dr. Riaz has more than a decade of experience in software product development. His primary research interests focus on AI-enabled diagnostics, particularly from noisy and incomplete data, though his work spans various interdisciplinary applications of Artificial Intelligence. He received his Ph.D. from the OU College of Engineering.
Eric Saulnier, Ph.D.
Student Success Administrator
Dr. Saulnier will be responsible for establishment and leadership of admissions, monitoring academic progress, retention coaching, financial aid and scholarships, military support services, career services, academic support services, and experiential learning services such as internships and research experiences. Most recently he was the Lead Education Coordinator for Student Success at the OU College of Medicine. Prior to joining OU, Dr. Saulnier was the Assistant Director of Academic Advising at Tulsa Community College.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Several graduate programs at the University of Oklahoma are ranked among the best in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings. These include programs in the OU College of Pharmacy, the OU College of Allied Health and the Michael F. Price College of Business.
Yanhua Xie is helping address global fresh water challenges by creating groundbreaking models and datasets of agricultural irrigation, as part of an international team simulating Earth’s water system.
Tiny white coats, stuffed animal patients and big imaginations filled OU School of Community Medicine at OU–Tulsa recently as elementary aged children from across the Tulsa area stepped into the world of medicine during Doctor for a Day, a highly visual, hands on experience designed to spark curiosity about health care careers—and make the doctor’s office feel a little less intimidating.
