Mike Farmer

Dr. Michael Farmer is the Dean of the School of Computing and Data Science (SCDS). Prior to joining Wentworth, he served as department head at both Kettering University and the University of Michigan–Flint, and held the rank of full Professor of Computer Science. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science and Engineering from Michigan State University.
Dr. Farmer’s research interests lie in the field of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in Computer Vision and Evidential Reasoning. In Computer Vision, his work focused on employing Chaos Theory to achieve illumination-invariant object detection and tracking. In Evidential Reasoning, he collaborated with psychologists to apply human cognitive models to the sequential processing of information. He has authored a book and numerous peer-reviewed journal and conference papers in these areas.
He has taught a wide range of courses—Software Engineering, Computer Architecture, Artificial Intelligence, Image Processing & Computer Vision, and Software Project Management—at both undergraduate and graduate levels.
Before transitioning to academia, Dr. Farmer spent two decades in industry: ten years in aerospace and ten years in the automotive sector, where he developed a range of innovative products and was awarded over 25 patents. In aerospace, his work focused on radar processing for surveillance applications. In the automotive industry, he contributed to radar systems for collision avoidance and camera-based safety technologies to enhance airbag effectiveness. He also holds an M.S. in Management of Technology from the University of Minnesota.
Outside of work, Dr. Farmer enjoys cycling, skiing, snowboarding, gardening, and playing bass guitar.