Ann Gates

Ann Quiroz Gates, Ph.D. serves as the Senior Advisor to the Provost for Strategic STEM Initiatives at The University of Texas at El Paso. She joined the UTEP faculty as an assistant professor of computer science in 1994 and was promoted to professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science in 2005. She served as associate vice president for research and sponsored projects from 2008 to 2012, then returned to her position as department chair until 2019. Dr. Gates served as the Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs from 2020-2022. She earned a doctoral degree in computer science from New Mexico State University, a master’s degree in computer science from UTEP, and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and biology from UTEP.
Dr. Gates is a founding member and lead of the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI), a nationally recognized network of more than 60 colleges, universities, and stakeholders that focus on the recruitment, retention, mentorship, and advancement of Hispanics in computing. CAHSI is one of six national alliances funded by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) program, a comprehensive initiative to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society. In 2018, her work with CAHSI led to UTEP’s partnership with Google’s Tech Exchange program, where UTEP students and faculty, along with peers from other Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities, participate in an immersive summer internship at Google in Silicon Valley.
Dr. Gates’ commitment to educational opportunities has elevated UTEP’s retention and graduation efforts and bolstered awareness from industry leaders such as Microsoft. In 2019, during her tenure as chair of the Department of Computer Science, Gates accepted the University Award from the Center for Minorities and People with Disabilities in Information Technology, a national award for universities that have retained students from underrepresented groups in computer science programs. In 2018, she and the UTEP College of Education designed a graduate-level certificate program for area educators to teach coding and AP computer science. This year, Microsoft’s TechSpark program, which aims to expand economic opportunity in the Borderplex region, funded 14 scholarships for high school math teachers. Gates also has an extensive portfolio of academic accomplishments and research awards. She is the recipient of the 2015 Great Minds in STEM Education award, created to honor the nation’s best and brightest Hispanic engineers, scientists, and technology experts. That same year, Gates was recognized with the A. Nico Habermann Award for her outstanding contributions to increasing the number of underrepresented groups in the computing research community. Her development, research, and implementation of the Affinity Research Group model – a set of practices that support the creation and maintenance of dynamic and inclusive research groups in which students learn and apply the knowledge and skills required for research and cooperative work – has been recognized and adopted at institutions outside of CAHSI. In 2006, she was named to Hispanic Business magazine’s 100 Influential Hispanics for her work on the Affinity Research Group model. She is a founding member of the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT) and the NSF Advisory Committee for Cyberinfrastructure. Gates is also the recipient of the 2010 Anita Borg Institute Social Impact Award, and the recipient of the 2009 Richard A. Tapia Achievement Award for Scientific Scholarship, Civic Science and Diversifying Computing. Gates was a member of the Naval Research Advisory Committee from 2016 to 2018 and currently serves on the State University of New York Research Council.
Her work in cyberinfrastructure has been well-supported by the National Science Foundation. She is the director and lead principal investigator of the NSF-funded Cyber-ShARE Center of Excellence at UTEP, which is nationally known for the study of collaborative science and engineering and develops and applies models of team-based, cooperative learning, interdisciplinary teamwork, and knowledge integration and management. Additional competitive grant awards include the Scholarship for Service (SFS) grant from the NSF and the Department of Homeland Security, and an NSF award with El Paso Community College and California State University, Stanislaus to increase enrollment and diversity in cybersecurity.