I am a Lecturer (UMD’s equivalent of an Assistant Professor of Teaching) in the Department of Computer Science and Program Director for the Data Science M.S. and Certificate programs in the Science Academy, CMNS at UMD. I teach undergraduate and graduate data science courses across both the department and the Science Academy. My research focuses on advancing machine learning and computational biology, with a growing interest in ethical AI in data science education. In 2025, I also served as Administrative and Academic Lead for the Break Through Tech Instructional Hub, collaborating with Cornell Tech’s Break Through Tech AI program to broaden access to AI education.
Teaching
For current and future course schedules, see Testudo.
- DATA 602 — Principles of Data Science
- CMSC 320 — Introduction to Data Science
- DATA 200 — Knowledge in Society: Science, Data, and Ethics
- DATA 120 — Python for Data Science
- CMSC 320 — Introduction to Data Science
- Foundations of Machine Learning
- CMSC 320 — Introduction to Data Science
- DATA 200 — Knowledge in Society: Science, Data, and Ethics
- DATA 120 — Python for Data Science
Research
My primary research focus on developing generative AI models to learn and sample protein tertiary structures, linking structure to function and generating realistic models beyond static views.
- Patre, S., Kanani, R., & Alam, F. F. (2025). SuperFoldAE: Enhancing Protein Fold Classification with Autoencoders. In Computational Structural Bioinformatics. Springer.
- Alam, F. F. (2022). Data Size and Quality Matter: Generating Physically-Realistic Distance Maps of Protein Tertiary Structures. Biomolecules, 12(7), 908.
My research also explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools into academic courses, focusing on their potential benefits for students and the overall learning process.
Selected publicationsI am currently working on few research projects in machine learning, computational biology, and AI tools for Data Science education (not accepting new students at this time). Additionally, I am developing a book for the CMSC320 course, available in the Teaching Book.
Contact
Email: fardina@umd.edu
Office: IRB 2222
For more details, please visit my website: www.fardinafathmiulalam.com