Education Lead

Dr. Daniel M. Mejía serves as the Education, Workforce, and Professional Development Lead for the Institute for Applied AI Innovation (AAII) at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He is also an Assistant Professor of Instruction and Program Director for the Master of Science in Software Engineering program in the Department of Computer Science, where he leads initiatives that align computing education with real-world practice through innovative and AI-integrated learning experiences.

Dr. Mejía’s work focuses on connecting education, research, and workforce development to create accessible pathways into technology and AI. He has led partnerships with Google, Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI), and GenAI in CS Education Consortium to provide resources for students to engage with cutting-edge tools, mentors, and applied software engineering experiences. As a Co-PI on an NSF S-STEM award and a multi-year Google grant recipient, he continues to expand programs that blend evidence-based pedagogy with workforce relevance.

Dr. Mejia has continuously pursued curriculum innovation; he has designed novel courses that bring modern computing practices to the forefront, including Applied Agile Software Development and Fundamentals of Financial Literacy – bridging the gap between technical skills and professional readiness. His scholarly work on Generative AI in computer science education and data-driven learning has been featured in ACM SIGCSE, ITiCSE, and IEEE Smart Cities.

A proud UTEP alumnus (B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Computer Science), Dr. Mejía is deeply committed to mentoring students and building collaborations that connect academia, industry, and community to ensure that innovation remains both human-centered and socially impactful.

Keywords of Expertise: Agile Software Development, AI for Software Engineering.