Mark A. Holliday

Mark A. Holliday is a Professor of Computer Science at Western Carolina University (WCU), where he has served since 2004. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1986) and has extensive experience in academia, including roles as Interim Department Head (2007–2009) and Visiting Research Scientist at institutions like the University of Portsmouth (UK) and the University of Toronto. His primary affiliation is with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at WCU.

Education Background:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison (1986)
• Master's in Computer Science, University of Wisconsin–Madison (1982)
• B.A. in Mathematics and Economics, University of Virginia (1978)

Research Interests: Holliday focuses on enhancing computer science education, particularly in teaching methodologies for programming concepts (e.g., memory diagrams for object-oriented programming), computer systems, and networking. His work includes developing educational tools like interactive animations for network concepts and memory diagram assessments. He also explores performance analysis of parallel architectures and distributed computing.

Prior Research Areas: Included grid computing, web services, memory reference traces in parallel systems, and shared memory multiprocessors. His recent projects include the National Storm Surge Database and applications for public access to environmental data.

Advising & Grants: While no specific students are listed, Holliday has led curriculum development initiatives and collaborated on projects funded by institutions like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He has served on the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission since 2023, contributing to accreditation standards.

Labs/Teams: His work involves interdisciplinary collaboration, including contributions to the Distributed Systems Group (University of Portsmouth) and the development of the Storm Surge Viewer application.