David Andrews

David Andrews is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering at the University of Arkansas College of Engineering. He holds the Mullins Endowed Chair of Computer Engineering and directs research through the Computer Systems Design Laboratory (CSDL). His work bridges hardware and software systems with a focus on practical implementation.

His educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Syracuse University
• Computer Engineer Degree from Syracuse University
• M.S.E.E. from University of Missouri-Columbia
• B.S.E.E. from University of Missouri-Columbia

Andrews' research centers on embedded systems architectures from a holistic systems perspective, examining interactions between programming languages, runtime systems, and hardware components. His work spans reconfigurable computing, FPGA-based acceleration, and hybrid CPU/FPGA systems. A key contribution is the HybridThreads (hthreads) platform, which abstracts hardware/software boundaries to enable thread-based programming for heterogeneous systems. Recent publications demonstrate his focus on accelerating machine learning workloads on FPGAs, particularly transformer models and attention mechanisms, while addressing resource scheduling and real-time constraints.

His publication trends reveal a consistent evolution from foundational work in parallel and distributed embedded systems toward specialized hardware acceleration for modern AI workloads. The research increasingly focuses on memory-centric architectures, computational overlays, and practical implementations for real-time applications across diverse domains including cultural heritage documentation and cybersecurity.

As director of the Computer Systems Design Laboratory, Andrews leads interdisciplinary research in real-time embedded systems, reconfigurable computing, multiprocessor systems on chip, and hardware/software co-design. The lab integrates knowledge into undergraduate and graduate curricula covering digital design, computer organization, embedded systems, and systems modeling. CSDL supports a collaborative environment with undergraduate, master's, and PhD students working alongside visiting researchers from global institutions.