Andrew Moore, dean of the School of Computer Science, has joined the board of directors of Duolingo, the language-learning app launched in 2011 by Luis von Ahn, adjunct professor of computer science, and SCS Ph.D. alumnus Severin Hacker.

"It's rare that I stumble upon technology that completely turns my preconceptions upside down," Moore said. "That's what happened when I first saw Duolingo.

"Pittsburgh is becoming a hub for artificial intelligence — not the 'scary robot' kind depicted in movies, but for technology that improves peoples' lives," he added. "Duolingo is helping spearhead this movement by using intelligent algorithms to help people learn. I'm proud to be a part of this movement."

"We're thrilled to welcome Andrew to our board," von Ahn said. "He is a pillar of the Pittsburgh technology community and is perfect for our plans to keep growing locally. His rare mixture of academic brilliance and deep management experience will be invaluable as Duolingo continues to innovate and grow around the world."

Moore is the fifth member of the board, joining Brad Burnham of Union Square Ventures and Harry Weller of New Enterprise Associates, along with two co-founders.

Duolingo is relocating its headquarters from Shadyside to a larger office in the heart of East Liberty to accommodate its growth from 60 to 100 employees by the end of 2016. It has raised $83.3 million to date from investors including Union Square Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and most recently, Google Capital.