Sam Huckaba

Sam Huckaba was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in October 2012 after serving for 15 months as interim dean.  Prior to that he served as senior associate dean (2008-2011), and from 2004 as associate dean.

Huckaba, a native of Columbia, Mo., received his B.A. in mathematics from the University of Missouri in 1980, and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Purdue University, in Indiana, in 1986.  He joined the Florida State University Department of Mathematics in 1987 as an assistant professor and was promoted to professor in 1998.  Huckaba received University Teaching Awards in 1991 and 2002, and FSU’s Developing Scholar Award in 1994.

Huckaba’s research accomplishments include published work in the areas of commutative algebra and algebraic geometry, two classical areas of pure mathematics. His interests include applications of algebra, and in particular, to cryptography and coding theory.  Before joining the dean’s office, Huckaba participated widely in departmental administration for his home department, including four years leading the mathematics graduate program through a time of rapid growth and change.