As interim provost of Crown College, Professor Katia Obraczka is focused on strengthening connections between Crown and UC Santa Cruz’s broader engineering, research, and innovation communities. She aims to expand opportunities for students to engage in research, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration—building on Crown’s legacy as a place of intellectual curiosity and discovery.

A faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Baskin School of Engineering since 2001, Obraczka is a Fellow of the IEEE and leads the Internetwork Research Group (i-NRG), which explores wireless computer networks, edge intelligence—the intersection of AI and edge computing—and the Internet of Things (IoT). She has held several leadership roles, including Graduate Director for Computer Engineering and Undergraduate Director for Computer Science, where she oversaw the largest undergraduate program on campus.

As campus director for the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS), Obraczka helps connect students and faculty to interdisciplinary research that applies emerging technologies to address real-world challenges.