Ramon Lawrence

Department Head, Professor

Computer Science, Data Science

Other Titles: Director, MDS Okanagan
Office: SCI 200C
Phone: 250.807.9390
Email: ramon.lawrence@ubc.ca

CV Download

Research Summary

Database systems and data analytics including data integration; analysis of large-scale scientific data sets and embedded databases for Internet of Things applications; software engineering and system development.

Courses & Teaching

Database systems and data analytics; software development.

Biography

Dr. Ramon Lawrence is Professor and Head of Computer Science and Director of the Master of Data Science program at UBC Okanagan. He joined UBC Okanagan in 2006, following five years as an assistant professor at the University of Iowa. His research interests include database systems, artificial intelligence, data integration, and educational technologies, and his work has resulted in more than 70 publications.

Dr. Lawrence is passionate about student learning and the effective use of technology in education. He is the former Academic Director of UBC Okanagan’s Centre for Teaching and Learning and has developed several systems for assessment and student support, including HelpMe, which combines real-time assistance from instructors and teaching assistants with AI-enabled discussion and chatbot tools. His teaching has been recognized with the Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Innovation in 2017, the Killam Teaching Prize in 2020, and nine placements on UBC Okanagan’s Teaching Honour Roll.

He is also the founder of Unity Data Inc., which develops software and provides consulting for database integration, management, and reporting. Its technology enables SQL querying and integration across relational and NoSQL data sources and is used by organizations worldwide. Dr. Lawrence is a Senior Member of both the ACM and IEEE.

Websites

https://cmps-people.ok.ubc.ca/rlawrenc/

Degrees

PhD University of Manitoba

Research Interests & Projects

My research expertise spans a wide area of database systems with focus on database performance, integration, interoperability, embedded databases, and Big Data analysis. The Distributed Database Laboratory has built two SQL relational engines: one in Java for data virtualization which is used in UnityJDBC and a second for embedded sensor nodes written in C. Applied research includes a partnership with the City of Kelowna to build a parks management system to reduce the cost of parks maintenance, algorithms for path finding in video games that use pre-constructed databases, and the Digital Archives Database Project (DADP) for storing historical Métis records.

Selected Publications & Presentations

Google Scholar

Professional Services/Affiliations/Committees

Director, Distributed Database Laboratory