Computer Science Alumni Spotlight: Christa Cody, Class of 2015
Part 8 of a 40th anniversary series celebrating Tennessee Tech computer science alumni
and the advancement of the Department of Computer Science, established in 1986.
Computer science was evolving fast in the 2010s, and Christa Cody found herself right in the middle of that transformation at Tennessee Tech.
A 2015 graduate, she saw expanding possibilities for students in the concentration areas of cybersecurity, high-performance computing and data science. At the same time, the core major placed a strong emphasis on the theory of computer science, giving her a solid foundation for graduate school and research at North Carolina State University.
“It helped me stand out among students with more software engineering-focused backgrounds, particularly because my work often required efficiently managing computing resources while developing machine learning models and having a deep understanding of how those models function at a fundamental level,” she said.
Cody remembers the department as small and close-knit, with far fewer majors than today’s nearly 800 students.
“Most of my classes had the same group of people, and everyone pretty much knew each other,” she said.
Cybersecurity research was also beginning to gain momentum in the department. Around the time she graduated, the university launched the Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC), creating new opportunities for students interested in the field.
“It was exciting to watch cybersecurity really start to take off,” she said.
Cody values her time working on cybersecurity research with faculty mentor and CEROC’s founder and first director, Ambareen Siraj, Ph.D.
“Even though I didn’t directly benefit from (CEROC), I like to think that participating in the early research and clubs helped, in a small way, contribute to what it has become.”
She also fondly remembers then-department chair Doug Talbert, Ph.D. [’91], who taught the experimental research course where she met her husband, Zach.
“Dr. Talbert was such a constant presence in Bruner Hall—you’d always see him bustling around,” she said. “It was always clear how much he cared about the students. Even now, as I’m part of the advisory group for the CS and data science programs, I can see that same dedication. He was always focused on making sure the program evolved with the field and that student voices were part of shaping where it went next.”
Cody also credits other faculty who guided her along the way—support that was vital for a first-generation college student.
“It meant a great deal to be in a department where faculty genuinely cared about their students as individuals,” she said.
“Dr. Siraj was an exceptional advisor who first introduced me to research, and professors such as Dr. (Martha) Kosa, Dr. Talbert and Dr. (Bill) Eberle were consistently supportive and deeply invested in their students’ learning and success. I truly can’t thank them enough.”
Professional Highlights
Christa Cody earned a B.S. in computer science from Tennessee Tech in 2015 and went on to complete an M.S. (2018) and Ph.D. (2020) in computer science at North Carolina State University. Now she’s a senior AI and machine learning data scientist at SAS, where she leads teams in building interactive analytics and applied machine learning experiences that bridge research and real-world deployment in engaging, accessible ways. Cody remains connected to Tennessee Tech, supporting the MInDS (Machine Intelligence and Data Science) Center and mentoring computer science students through industry-backed capstone projects in collaboration with SAS. She works remotely in Raleigh alongside her husband, Zach Cleghern [Computer Science ’14].
Computer Science in the 2010s
- 2010 – Computer Science becomes part of the College of Engineering.
- 2013 – WiCyS (Women in Cybersecurity) is founded by Ambareen Siraj, Ph.D., through an NSF grant.
- 2015 – Cybersecurity Education, Research and Outreach Center (CEROC) is established.
- 2016 – Gerald Gannod, Ph.D., is named the department chair.