Lina Battestilli

Lina Battestilli is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University's College of Engineering, where she has served since 2012. Her career spans industry research at IBM and academia, with promotions from Assistant to Associate and Full Teaching Professor reflecting her impact on computer science education and diversity initiatives.

• PhD in Computer Science, North Carolina State University (2005)
• MS in Computer Networking, North Carolina State University (2002)
• BS in Electrical Engineering with Minor in Applied Mathematics, Kettering University (1999)

Her research centers on innovative computer science pedagogy, particularly academic help-seeking behaviors, peer collaboration frameworks, and scalable teaching methods for large courses. She champions broadening participation in computing through evidence-based interventions targeting women and underrepresented groups, while maintaining expertise in cloud networking and software-defined networking architectures.

Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in computer science education research, with 80% focused on student persistence, help-seeking behaviors, and hybrid flexible (HyFlex) instruction models. A significant portion addresses diversity interventions, particularly lightweight self-assessment techniques proven to improve women's retention in computing. Her work bridges educational theory with practical classroom applications, emphasizing data-driven approaches to course design.

Scientific Awards

• NC State Outstanding Teaching Award (2023)
• Cultural Competence in Computing (3C) Faculty Fellow (2021-2023)
• NC State DELTA Faculty Fellow (2020-2022)
• NC State Computer Science Person of Exceptional Performance Award (2021)
• NC State Women & Minority Engineering Best Online Pivot Award (2021)
• NC State Computer Science Awesome Award for Teaching (2021)
• ACMP/AITP Carol Miller Outstanding Undergraduate Lecturer Award (2016)
• Nancy G. Pollock University-wide Best Dissertation Award (2006)

As Faculty Adviser for Women in Computer Science (WiCS) since 2013 and Grace Hopper Conference Coordinator since 2015, she mentors hundreds of students annually. Her $363,925 in externally funded grants—including three NSF awards—supports initiatives like the Early Research Scholars Program and diagnostic studies on student retention pathways. She integrates growth mindset theory into all courses while developing tools like MATLAB-based CAD applications for engineering education.

She leads the Academic Help-Seeking research group recruiting undergraduate Peer Teaching Fellows, and collaborates with Business Management and Physiology faculty on HyFlex instruction studies. Her BlendFlex research examines academic confidence under workload stress, while legacy work includes PowerEN networking technology development at IBM Research.