ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) today announced a $1 million contribution to the University of Houston’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) to help meet growing demand for data science education. This donation marks the first of several planned contributions by ConocoPhillips to support data science curriculum at multiple universities.
The contribution to the University of Houston will fund new faculty positions in the computer science and mathematics departments, along with fellowships for graduate students with strong data science skills.
“The oil and natural gas industry is evolving in ways that increasingly require ConocoPhillips employees to utilize leading-edge data analytic skills,” said Greg Leveille, chief technology officer of ConocoPhillips and a member of the advisory board for NSM Dean Dan Wells. “The University of Houston is an important source of talent for us, so we’re pleased to provide a gift that will enable the university to further strengthen its ability to teach these skills to students.”
Demand for expertise in data science is growing at a rapid pace: from students who want to learn the field; researchers who produce, interpret or otherwise work with reams of data; and industry, which needs a data science-savvy workforce to harness data for solutions to specific problems.
“Data science is important in many fields, from business to engineering to health care,” said Jaspal Subhlok, chairman of the University of Houston Department of Computer Science. “Everybody needs the expertise, a pathway to get enough skills to use in their own fields.”
The contribution will specifically fund:
- ConocoPhillips Fellows of Data Science,
- ConocoPhillips Professor of Practice in Data Science in the Department of Computer Science,
- ConocoPhillips Data Science Instructional Faculty in the Department of Mathematics, and
- ConocoPhillips Data Science tenure-track faculty in the Department of Mathematics.
In addition to supporting the university’s data science programs, ConocoPhillips provides ongoing annual support for scholarships, programs, faculty and facilities across the University of Houston system.
Source: Conoco Phillips
