Bio
Joel Coffman received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Virginia in 2012. Afterward, he joined the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as a senior cyber engineer and led a number of internally- and sponsor-funded projects focused on cybersecurity. In addition, he served as a chief engineer where he provided quality oversight for the 60+ staff members in the Enterprise Systems Group.
Academically, Joel taught part-time for Johns Hopkins's Whiting School of Engineering starting in 2014, instructing courses in software engineering and cloud computing security. Joel also served as the assistant program manager for the computer science, cybersecurity, and information systems engineering programs of Engineering for Professionals, the part-time arm of the Whiting School of Engineering.
In 2018, Joel joined the Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences at United States Air Force Academy. His teaching interests span all levels of computer science, from introductory computing to mentoring capstone projects.
Education
University of Virginia
Doctor of Philosophy, Computer Science, 2012
Thesis: Toward Practical Relational Keyword Search Systems
Master of Science, Computer Science, 2009
Thesis: Effective Searching in Structured Data
Furman University
Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, Computer Science, 2007
Thesis: Generalizing Parametric Timing Analysis
Professional Experience
Professor, Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado (2018 – present)
Senior Cyber Engineer, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland (2012 – 2018)
Honors & Awards
Martinson Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Research Award, United States Air Force Academy, 2023
Frank J. Seiler Award for Faculty Research Excellence in engineering, United States Air Force Academy, 2022
Outstanding Academy Educator, Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences, United States Air Force Academy, 2021