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Dr. Jeffries is a North Carolina native from Graham, North Carolina  in Alamance County.  He is currently an online and residential Instructor of Engineering in the Distance Education and Extended Programs department, and has previously served as instructor of IVC Honors Physics in the NCSSM Distance Education and Extended Programs department. 

How did Dr. Jeffries first become interested in Computer Science?

One of Dr. Jeffries' first exposures to computers was his Radio Shack computer kit.  He fondly remembers his time with his Uncle who was an electrical engineer in the Air Force and encouraged him to take things apart and figure out how they worked.

Where did Dr. Jeffries attend undergraduate/graduate school and how did he decide what to major in and focus on?

Dr. Jeffries began his college journey at Duke on an Air Force ROTC scholarship, then transferred to North Carolina A&T State University where he received his BS and MS in Electrical Engineering.  While in college, he found that he was really interested in computers and how they worked...particularly microprocessors.   

After working in industry for many years, his experiences with his son's recovery from a bad accident led him to become interested in wound healing and scar tissue reduction.  After encouragement from his mentor,  Dr. Jeffries subsequently obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the North Carolina State University/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a focus in tissue engineering. 

What did Dr. Jeffries do before coming to NCSSM?  

Dr. Jeffries has 15 years of industry experience as a Senior Software Engineer in the networking industry where his significant contribution was the software development of the first Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) offering for internet service providers. 

Prior to joining NCSSM, he conducted research in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at North Carolina State University, on breast cancer metastasis and the effects of diabetes on it's movement. In addition, he managed the BioMed-Connect Alliance Mentoring Incubator in the College of Engineering where he mentored high school, community college and engineering undergraduates historically underrepresented in biomedical research. Dr. Jeffries also conducted research in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he developed a bioartificial liver to conduct metabolism studies of both drugs and liver cancer. Prior to his research activities, Dr. Jeffries was a lecturer in the Computer Science department at Winston-Salem State University where he taught Computer Architecture, Digital Logic Design and Intro to Computers. 

What does Dr. Jeffries do after hours?

Outside of teaching, Dr. Jeffries enjoys spending time with family, travel (he as been to Japan, Puerto Rico, London, and the Dominican Republic), sports, and performing with the Justice Theater Project production company.  He is also a big music fan, and he used to play the saxophone.

What is Dr. Jeffries' favorite thing about NCSSM?

Dr. Jeffries enjoys catching students early but at a level where they can really understand.  He also loves the opportunities and the passion that his colleagues have for education and curriculum development.

If Dr. Jeffries could give NCSSM students one piece of advice, what would it be?

Take advantage of new experiences and don't worry so much about the future.