Bio
I am an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at The College of Wooster. My research explores the intersection of graph theory and software engineering, particularly developing efficient graph mining and network analysis algorithms for large-scale software ecosystems. I am passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of computer scientists.
I earned my Ph.D. in Computer Science from Kent State University in 2020, supervised by Dr. Feodor Dragan. My research centered on injective hulls, Helly graphs, and δ-hyperbolic graphs. δ-Hyperbolic graphs are metrically closer to a tree and are common in many real-world networks. We explored facility location and network analysis problems, focusing on the eccentricity e(v) of a vertex, and developed efficient algorithms for calculating eccentricities. During this time, I also worked as a software engineer consultant for GraphSQL Inc.
Before that, I studied computer science at The University of Akron. My Master's Thesis, advised by Dr. Michael Collard, focused on software evolution - specifically, I studied developer habits in branch naming conventions and accurately detecting the branch to which a commit was originally made. During this time, I worked under two NSF grants on development and quality assurance for the srcML framework. I was also a software engineer at BGI LLC, where I developed data analysis tools for the US Navy.
A fun fact: My Erdõs number is 3 (Paul Erdõs → Dieter Kratsch → Feodor Dragan → Heather Guarnera).
Beyond teaching and research, I enjoy family time with my spouse Drew (a.k.a. "the other Dr. Guarnera") and our 3 year old daughter Parker - we love board games, video games, and movie nights. I also enjoy a good cup of coffee and any reason to get outdoors, but kayaking and birding are among my favorite.