ACM Distinguished Member Materials
ACM Membership Information
Mark Sherriff (sherriff@virginia.edu)
Member #: 2050011
Member Since October 2001
ACM Professional Member: September 2007
ACM Senior Member: 2019
Concise Statement of Professional Achievement
“For national leadership in computing education through mentoring, curricular innovation, and professional service.”
Current CV
Educational Background
Doctor of Philosophy, Computer Science (2007)
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Advisor: Dr. Laurie Williams
Topic: Analyzing Software Artifacts through Singular Value Decomposition to Guide Development Decisions
Master of Science, Computer Science (2004)
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Advisor: Dr. Laurie Williams
Topic: Estimating Software Reliability in a Haskell Programming Environment
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science (2002 with Honors, Cum Laude)
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Burg
Honors Topic: Unix Tutorials to Move Students from PC/Windows to Unix
Candidate’s Most Significant Professional Accomplishments
Over more than twenty years in computing education, Prof. Mark Sherriff has made sustained national contributions to computing education through leadership in the ACM SIGCSE community, the development of mentoring and research infrastructure for computing education researchers, and innovative curricular leadership at the University of Virginia.
A major focus of Sherriff’s academic work has been strengthening the computing education research (CER) community through mentoring, professional development, and the promotion of rigorous empirical methods. Through multiple National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded projects, he helped create and sustain national initiatives supporting empirical computing education research and researcher development. Sherriff co-authored a comprehensive review of reporting standards and empirical practices in computing education research venues. At the same time, he co-created the Designing Empirical Education Research Studies (DEERS) workshops and related mentoring initiatives that supported computing educators as they developed and conducted their own empirical research studies. These efforts have provided structured mentorship, research training, and collaborative opportunities for educators and emerging researchers from institutions across the United States.
Along with his DEERS colleagues, Sherriff was awarded a new $2M collaborative grant from the NSF in January 2026 for a project called REPLICATE with the purpose of directly supporting replication in CS education research and creating new frameworks to support replication work in the future. His work has directly contributed to improving the rigor, reproducibility, and accessibility of computing education research while helping expand participation in the research community itself.
Another significant contribution has been Sherriff’s leadership in the NSF Showcase program at the ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium. Through multiple NSF-funded grants, he helped build and sustain a venue that allowed computing education researchers and educators to share developing projects, receive formative feedback, connect with collaborators, and engage directly with NSF program officers. The Showcase has become an established and valued component of the SIGCSE community and has supported the dissemination and growth of computing education innovation nationwide.
Sherriff has also played a sustained leadership role in the ACM SIGCSE community. His service includes election as Secretary of the ACM SIGCSE Board (2025-2028) and membership on the SIGCSE Technical Symposium Steering Committee. He served as Symposium Co-Chair for the 2020 and 2021 ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, helping guide the conference community during the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting the transition to large-scale online conference operations. Once the SIGCSE Technical Symposium was back in-person in 2022, Sherriff continued to host “SIGCSE Coffee Break,” an online interview and commentary program designed to support virtual attendees and strengthen community engagement during the symposium. Recordings of the show can be found at http://sigcsecoffeebreak.org. He has additionally served in numerous organizational and program leadership roles for SIGCSE and related conferences, including Associate Program Chair, workshop organizer, reviewer, and giving a keynote in 2022 to first-time symposium attendees about how to become involved in SIGCSE.
At the University of Virginia, Sherriff has demonstrated long-term leadership in curriculum innovation and scalable computing education. He was one of the leading architects of the foundation curriculum redesign while serving as associate chair for undergraduate programs. Sherriff also developed large-enrollment software engineering, capstone, and game design courses. As of spring 2026, Sherriff has taught over 10,000 undergraduate students at UVA. His teaching and educational leadership has been recognized through numerous honors, including the IEEE Computer Society Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science and Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award and the University of Virginia All-University Teaching Award. In recognition of his sustained contributions to student education and development, he was named the Joseph L. Vaughan Professor of Humanities, an endowed professorship recognizing sustained contributions to student education and development.
These mentoring and workshop efforts have helped broaden participation in computing education research by supporting educators from a wide range of institutions and career stages. Across these activities, Prof. Mark Sherriff’s contributions reflect a consistent commitment to advancing computing education not only through teaching and scholarship, but also through the creation of professional communities, mentoring structures, and organizational infrastructure that support the long-term growth of the field.
Specific Contributions
NSF Showcase at the ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium
Co-led and sustained the NSF Showcase program through multiple NSF-funded grants, creating a longstanding SIGCSE venue that supported dissemination of emerging computing education projects, researcher networking, mentoring, and direct engagement with NSF program officers.
Designing Empirical Education Research Studies (DEERS) Workshops
Co-created and organized the DEERS workshops and mentoring initiatives, which trained and supported computing educators and researchers in the design and execution of rigorous empirical computing education research studies.
Systematic Literature Review of Empiricism and Reporting Norms in Computing Education Research
Co-authored a comprehensive review of empirical practices and reporting norms in computing education research venues, helping identify gaps in reproducibility and methodological reporting within the field.
ACM SIGCSE Symposium Leadership During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Served as Symposium Co-Chair for the 2020 and 2021 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposiums, helping guide the computing education community through the transition to large-scale online conference operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SIGCSE Coffee Break Virtual Community Program
Created and hosted “SIGCSE Coffee Break,” an online interview and commentary program that expanded engagement opportunities for virtual SIGCSE attendees and strengthened community interaction during and after the pandemic transition.
REPLICATE NSF Project
Co-Principal Investigator on the NSF-funded REPLICATE project, which develops coordinated multi-site replication studies and supporting frameworks to strengthen rigor and reproducibility in computing education research.
Undergraduate Curriculum Redesign and Large-Scale Computing Education Leadership at UVA
Helped lead the redesign of the University of Virginia’s foundational computing curriculum while developing and teaching large-enrollment software engineering, capstone, and game design courses impacting more than 10,000 undergraduate students.
ACM Leadership roles
ACM SIGCSE Board Secretary (2025-2028)
Elected to the executive leadership of ACM SIGCSE, helping guide organizational governance, strategic planning, and professional activities for one of ACM’s largest special interest groups.
ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium Steering Committee (2025-2028)
Serves on the governing committee responsible for long-term planning, continuity, and oversight of the ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, the flagship international conference of the SIGCSE community.
Symposium Co-Chair, 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE TS 2021)
Co-led the organization and execution of the first fully virtual SIGCSE Technical Symposium for over 1500 attendees during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting large-scale online participation and continuity for the international computing education community.
Symposium Co-Chair, 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE TS 2020)
Helped lead the SIGCSE Technical Symposium during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed to the transition of conference activities to online formats supporting community engagement and professional continuity.
Associate Program Chair, ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium and ACM ITiCSE Conferences
Served in multiple Associate Program Chair roles for SIGCSE Technical Symposium and ITiCSE conferences, supporting peer review, program development, and technical quality for major international computing education venues.
Virtual Event Host, ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium (2022-2025)
Developed and hosted virtual engagement programming, including the “SIGCSE Coffee Break” interview series, to strengthen participation and community interaction for remote symposium attendees.
Birds of a Feather Co-Chair, ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium (2019)
Responsible for coordinating submissions, reviewers, and delivery of the Birds of a Feather sessions at the ACM SIGCSE TS.
Web Co-Chair, ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium (2018)
Provided long-term technical and operational leadership for conference web infrastructure, systems support, and online communication.
Awards and Honors
IEEE Computer Society Mary Kenneth Keller Computer Science and Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award (2016)
Received an international teaching award recognizing outstanding contributions to undergraduate computer science education through innovative teaching and commitment to increasing enrollment and diversity in computing programs.
Joseph L. Vaughan Professor of Humanities, University of Virginia (2026-Present)
Named to an endowed professorship recognizing sustained contributions to student education and development at the University of Virginia.
University of Virginia All-University Teaching Award (2014)
Received one of the university’s highest teaching honors in recognition of sustained excellence and impact in undergraduate education across the institution.
Hartfield-Jefferson Scholars Teaching Prize, University of Virginia (2010)
Recognized for exceptional undergraduate teaching and mentorship early in academic career.
UVA ACM Computer Science Professor of the Year (4x - 2010, 2012, 2021, 2026)
Selected multiple times by undergraduate computing students in recognition of teaching effectiveness, mentorship, and student engagement.
UVA Trigon Engineering Society Thomas E. Hutchinson Faculty Award (2011)
Recognized by engineering students for contributions to undergraduate education and student development within the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
ACM Senior Member and IEEE Senior Member (both elevated in 2019)
Recognized by both professional societies for significant professional performance and contributions to the computing field.