Nick Duffield, Ph.D., began his academic journey in the UK, earning his bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and his master’s in math from the University of Cambridge. He later completed his doctorate in mathematical physics from the University of London, laying the foundation for a career focused on research, technological advancement and cross-disciplinary engagement.
“I started off in physics, dabbled in mathematics, then ended up working in mathematical physics,” he said. “And I carried on working in mathematical physics as a postdoc in Ireland for several years.”
Today he is the Royce E. Wisenbaker Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, but two decades ago, he was an early-career faculty member on the other side of the Atlantic.
A new direction
In 1995, Duffield decided to leave his junior faculty position in Ireland, to pursue a career in applied mathematics at Bell Labs, a research and development company owned by AT&T, in New Jersey.
“At the time, the internet was well underway and AT&T was rolling out its own internet service,” he said. “But at that stage the way the internet had been designed, it did not have the capability built in to carry out the type of measurements needed to help expand their services.”
In his new role at Bell Labs, Duffield had the idea of creating a systematic approach to collecting and storing operational data from AT&T’s internet that could benefit the company’s engineering services.
“We created a technology to acquire and analyze operational data – such as where and how much data is flowing across the network – which interested us as researchers but also helped us to engage with the business units to understand their problems,” he said. “We could use mathematics to actually help the services run better.”
Although Duffield was initially unfamiliar with the problem he eventually took on, his mindset was a catalyst for personal growth during his time at AT&T.
“It was interesting because I came into that environment knowing very little about the internet. I’d never taken a course in computer science or electrical engineering,” he said. “I had some initial uncertainty about what I was going to do, but that was actually creative uncertainty. I wasn’t held back by preconception of what couldn’t be done.”
Time for a change
After 18 years at AT&T, Duffield felt that it was time for a change of scenery.
“The landscape of the industry had changed, especially with the tech crash, and there was a lot of pressure on companies to get short-term return on investment, which made it harder to straddle the line between foundational research and business impact,” he said. “It was great while it lasted there, but when it changed, I felt I needed a change as well.”
In 2014, Duffield moved to the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University.
“It was a great fit,” he said. “I really wanted to grow in data science, and that is what I had been doing at AT&T, although we didn’t really use that term at that stage.”
In his first few years at Texas A&M, Duffield hit the ground running, making as many connections as he could with people in data science throughout the university.
“There was a great opportunity at that time to find smart colleagues, great problems outside of my domain, where I could develop new collaborations and also try and create some momentum,” he said. “I ended up working with people from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as people in the College Engineering and what is now the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Community Building
In 2018, Duffield was appointed as Director of the Institute of Data Science. In this position, Duffield draws on his industry experience to provide students with the tools necessary for success within their field.
“One thing I noticed through my time in the industry was how much more of an impact you can have if you reached outside of your organization, if you reached outside of your set of colleagues you were comfortable with and learned about other people’s problems and challenges.”
Duffield emphasizes offering students many opportunities to network, connect or learn through various activities.
“I think we can provide additional opportunities to people by understanding what they’re doing and then connecting them through education, research, outreach, etc., to further opportunities, which can ultimately make people more successful.”
Whether it’s seed grant programs, student ambassador scholarships, or the MS in Data Science program, Duffield is committed to cultivating excellence that continues with students beyond their time at Texas A&M.
“I think a key word is engagement,” he said. “In these support programs, we’re not just going to fund you. We’re going to stay engaged with you to help you be successful.”
The industry affiliates program is a testament to this long-term commitment. This program, through sponsorship and engagement opportunities, connects industry members to the student talent pipeline, allowing them to interact directly with students through various experiences.
“It’s about having the community,” he said. “It’s about having these surrounding activities, these engagement activities, having community which shows that you’re going to have the kind of impact beyond the research that you’re doing.”
