Mark Sherriff

Mark Sherriff is a Professor of Computer Science and Associate Department Chair at the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Science. He joined the department in 2007 and directs the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science program. His teaching focuses on software engineering, game design, and mobile app development, while his research emphasizes CS education, gamification, and the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). He has won major awards including the 2016 IEEE Teaching Award and 2014 UVA All-University Teaching Award. He earned his BS from Wake Forest University (2002) and MS/PhD from NC State (2004/2007).

Dr. Sherriff co-directs the Game Design Research Group, exploring gamification in education and 'games for good.' His recent grants include a collaborative NSF-funded project on empirical CSEd research methods. He teaches courses such as CS 3240 (Software Engineering), CS 4730 (Game Design), and interdisciplinary courses like SLAV 2500 (Vampires in Video Games).

His research spans over 30 publications analyzing empiricism in CS education, gamification strategies, and curriculum design. He actively contributes to ACM SIGCSE, currently serving as Board Secretary (2025-2028).

Awards include UVA ACM Professor of the Year (2011, 2021) and Trigon Engineering Society awards (2012, 2010). His advising emphasizes student engagement through immersive projects like Capstone Practicum II and game development portfolios.