Maritime Transportation & Engineering

Engineering At Galveston Welcomes Fall 2025 New Faculty

Dr. Yanlai Wu and Dr. Marian Zaki have joined the Engineering at Galveston team at Texas A&M University at Galveston for the fall 2025 semester. 

Both faculty members bring exceptional expertise to the Department of Computer Science and Engineering within the College of Engineering, and we are looking forward to their impact in the classroom, research and scholarship across our campus community. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Drs. Wu and Zaki to the computer science program in Galveston,” said Dr. Zoran Budimlić, an instructional associate professor of computer science and engineering and director of the program. “I’m excited to work with both of them as our program continues to grow. Their expertise and passion for teaching will help us tremendously in achieving our goal of making Galveston the place to study computer science in Texas and beyond.”  

Welcome to the following new faculty members, in alphabetical order by last name:

Dr. Yanlai Wu

Instructional Assistant Professor – Department of Computer Science & Engineering

Dr. Yanlai Wu’s academic background is in computer science, with a focus on usable privacy and human-computer interaction. Her research focuses on advancing knowledge and practice in online privacy by investigating users’ concerns and strategies, as well as exploring anticipated design solutions for protecting privacy in both current and emerging technologies. Before joining the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University, she earned her Ph.D. from the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Central Florida.

Dr. Marian Zaki

Instructional Associate Professor – Department of Computer Science & Engineering

Dr. Marian Zaki joins the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University as an Instructional Associate Professor. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pittsburgh, specializing in designing privacy-preserving and secure distributed systems. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, she has published in top-tier journals and has received multiple awards recognizing her excellence in teaching, mentorship and research. Zaki is a frequent conference speaker and panelist on cybersecurity. Zaki is passionate about curriculum design that bridges academic theory with real-world application and fosters student success through industry engagement.