Category Archives: Grad Student

Ph.D. Software Engineering

Why did you choose UC Irvine for your Ph.D. studies?

While working on my master’s at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, I wanted a different experience for my master’s thesis. I ended up here in Southern California, working with Informatics Professor Jim Jones for a year as a junior specialist. After that, he and some of his Ph.D. students encouraged me to apply for a Ph.D. position. I enjoyed doing the research, so why not continue? I didn’t even apply anywhere else.

What has been your favorite class so far?

David Redmiles’ Software Engineering (IN4MATX 211) course was fun because it is very research-focused. During the quarter, you discuss different areas of research within software engineering, but you also work on your own research project. For me, this was a good chance to explore a new-to-me body of research — reverse debugging.

Can you tell us about your research?

Working with Jim, we’re focused on seeing if it’s possible to automatically discover phases within a software program. So during execution, we log everything that happens, and then we take this big file and cut it up into pieces, saying “this part of the trace was opening the file, this part was saving the file,” and so on. We want to see if this is possible and if it would be useful to others for program comprehension.

What has been the best part of your experience so far?

Well, beyond living here and having much better weather than in the Netherlands, I’d say I like having the freedom to explore what I’m interested in and do related research. It’s a privilege to work with an advisor who shares your interests. I chose well with Jim, because I’m really interested in software testing and program debugging, which fits well with his work.

What has been the most unexpected part of your experience?

This is more general to Southern California but dealing with the traffic. We have traffic in the Netherlands, but not like this. The 405 is just a big parking lot!

What are your aspirations for the future?

I’m still trying to figure it out. On the one hand, I like research and I’m really enjoying teaching this quarter. I’m a TA for Software Design I (INF4MATX 121), and it’s a lot of fun. I like interacting with students, so going into academia would make sense. On the other hand, I love to build things people can use. I’d be happy with either one!

Any advice for prospective graduate students interested in the program?

Look into the interests of all the professors. Go read the last five papers of everyone in the department to see what you like and don’t like. Talk to the people doing research that interests you. That is what my advisor told me to do when I was looking for a topic for my master’s thesis, and it was very useful advice. When I read Jim’s stuff, I knew I wanted to work with him. I would be surprised if you read through all the works of the Informatics professors and didn’t find something you like.

Ph.D. Informatics

Why did you choose UC Irvine for your graduate studies?

UC Irvine has many faculty members who are highly respected in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI), and I was interested in the work being done here to combine social and political concerns with technological investigations and solutions.

What has been your favorite class so far?

My favorite class has definitely been “Technology, Sexuality, and Gender,” taught by Bonnie Ruberg (one of the offerings for IN4MATX 295, Special Topics in Informatics). In class, we explored how technology exists in a gendered and sexualized world. We combined queer theory, gender studies and technology studies to discuss the realities of living in the digital age and the potential for liberation or oppression and empathy or assimilation within technology.

Can you tell us about your research?

As an undergraduate, I held several summer research positions in which I collected and analyzed social media data and studied machine learning. I worked with Kate Starbird and Emma Spiro at the University of Washington on their project concerning how rumors grow and spread on social media during times of crisis. I’ve also worked with Jason Hong at Carnegie Mellon University on predicting happiness in urban neighborhoods using social media sentiment analysis and machine learning.

What has been the best part of your experience so far?

I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone in the program — the faculty, administrators and my fellow students. Everyone is so passionate about their work and supportive of one another’s research interests.

What has been the most unexpected part of your experience?

I didn’t expect such a great support system in terms of academic advice, scholarly camaraderie, and social and emotional support. Everyone at UCI is open and welcoming, and the Informatics department in particular is extremely supportive.

What are your aspirations for the future?

I’m keeping my options open. I’d love to work in industry doing social media research, but I keep getting drawn back to academia, so I think that will be where I (happily) end up. I’m not sure what kind of department I will eventually settle in after graduate school, because my work is quite interdisciplinary, but I’m passionate about social issues and identities and how they intersect with technology use and design.

Any advice for prospective graduate students interested in the program?

Look at the many fascinating classes that the Informatics department offers each quarter, and if you see something that sounds interesting, reach out to the professor. Don’t be shy! Although professors and students can be pretty busy, everyone has at least a little time to chat with prospective students, because they want to help people who might become their future colleagues.

Ph.D. Informatics

Why did you choose UC Irvine for your graduate studies?

I chose UC Irvine for access to the notable Informatics faculty. A friend once
told me that you can only be as good as your mentor, which is why it is
worthwhile to have the likes of Judy Olson, Gary Olson, Paul Dourish, Bonnie
Nardi, and Geoffrey Bowker all on the same floor. Aside from that, I chose
UCI for its campus amenities. I wanted to get into “making and fabrication”
spaces, and UCI definitely offered more equipment than my previous
campus.

What has been your favorite class so far?

My favorite class has been IN4MTX 241, Introduction to Ubiquitous
Computing, with Theresa Jean Tanenbaum. He helped the class think about ubicomp
from different perspectives — social, application and design perspectives. He
also provided some historical grounding and contemporary analysis of the
subject matter.

Have you had any internships or jobs?

My internship was at a company called Blackbox Inc., a shipping company
owned by Cards Against Humanity. I was initially hired as a UX design
intern, but when they saw my research abilities, they switched my position
to UX research. I conducted contextual inquiries, screen recordings,
interviews, and card sorting sessions, and I created several proposals with
my boss.

Can you tell us about your research?

I have been working with a team of students, researching an interactive
storytelling unit using traditional art form. The work was approved to be part
of the Multidisciplinary Design Program (MDP), which has been both nerve-
wracking and exciting! We’re currently in the process of thinking through our
ideas and providing initial sketches.

What has been the best part of your experience so far?

The best part has been working with talented peers who expand my thinking
and challenge my ideas. I’m also enjoying building and creating support
systems for the future.

What has been the most unexpected part of your experience?

The most unexpected part is that the program is theoretically heavy, but
that has definitely been enlightening. There is also a wide range of people
from different backgrounds, which has been nice.

What are your aspirations for the future?

I’ll probably be doing UX research with a corporate company, but as I
progress in this program, I’m becoming a little torn regarding where my
place will be. There are aspects of knowledge production and pedagogy that
interest me within academia. It is definitely an exploratory process, so we’ll
see where I end up.

Any advice for prospective graduate students interested in the program?

Seek out the work of professors who interest you, talk to graduate students
currently in the program and decide what research topics are close to your
heart. In moments of uncertainty, it will help to remind yourself of your
initial purpose in pursuing this research.

Ph.D. Software Engineering

Why did you choose UC Irvine for your graduate studies?

I chose UCI because it supports diversity and offers related funding opportunities. For example, it has an agreement with UC Mexus, one of the institutions supporting my academic development. Also, the Software Engineering program and faculty research projects in the Department of Informatics were a good fit with my academic expectations.

What has been your favorite class so far?

I just finished my first quarter here at UCI, but my favorite class was Software Engineering (IN4MTX 211), taught by David Redmiles. The class provides a big picture of software engineering from the perspective of academia.

Have you had any internships or jobs?

Before coming to UCI, I worked as a software engineer for four years in my hometown, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. I experienced first-hand the issues that software developers struggle with daily. My experience in industry helped motivate me to continue my education and work on mitigating such issues.

Can you tell us about your research?

I’m currently conducting research as a member of the Software Design and Collaboration Laboratory (SDCL) under the guidance of Professor André van der Hoek. My research focuses on improving software engineering through the simulation of real software practices supported by digital learning tools.

What has been the best part of your experience so far?

I am really enjoying life as a researcher. While earning my master’s degree, I was both working and studying, which was good because I obtained knowledge from both industry and academia. However, I like the fact that I can now dedicate all of my effort to my studies.

What are your aspirations for the future?

I’d like to work as a researcher, leading projects that both improve the quality of life for people who use technology and support the professionals who are building the technology. Specifically, I want to support software developers by providing them with novel tools and techniques for producing better software and for increasing their awareness of how software impacts society.

Any advice for prospective graduate students interested in the program?

My advice is that they should find a good match between their expectations and the projects being conducted by faculty in our department. An important factor in my success has been my passion for the work I’m doing, so I’d say they need to choose an area and topic they like.

Ph.D. Informatics

Why did you choose UC Irvine for your graduate studies?

In addition to great year-round weather and an outdoor saltwater pool surrounded by palm trees, UCI has a graduate division invested in student well-being, a union that ensures its graduate students enjoy a decent standard of living, and an Informatics department with diverse, forward-thinking and award-winning interdisciplinary faculty and students. Furthermore, my research interests aligned with the work of Professors Kai Zheng and Yunan Chen, so I had to apply!

What has been your favorite class so far?

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but one class that I especially enjoyed was the Doctoral Seminar (IN4MATX 207S) with Professor Melissa Mazmanian. It was refreshing to pick apart each other’s theses, and I think all students left the class with a clearer idea of what their own theses would be.

Have you had any internships or jobs?

Before coming to Irvine, I had the pleasure of working as an intern at Lakeland Regional Health, where I helped design and develop software for Cerner, their electronic health record system.

Can you tell us about your research?

As an undergraduate working in the Perception Lab at the University of Utah, I wrote code for running perceptual psychology experiments in virtual reality. After that, I earned a master’s degree at Florida Polytechnic University, conducting ethnographic research in a local intensive care unit. Now, for my doctoral degree, I’m working on clinical decision support for health informatics.

What has been the best part of your experience so far?

We have a culture of support in the Health and Information (HAI) Lab — everyone is personally invested in everyone else’s success. We help each other out and celebrate our successes together. It’s a great environment.

What has been the most unexpected part of your experience?

I am constantly surprised by foods that are available within driving distance of UCI, originating from around the globe. There are raw, green almonds and janerik (sour green plums) from Iran. There is cherimoya, a fruit that tastes like bubble gum that comes from Central and South America. There is pão de queijo (cheese bread) from Brazil and pupusas from El Salvador. There are also high-quality, innovative vegan dishes in the area — pho and rich coconut cake come to mind.

What are your aspirations for the future?

My plan is to continue my research, improving patient safety and clinician well-being by advocating for evidence-based design of electronic health records.

Any advice for prospective graduate students interested in the program?

Pick a problem you are genuinely interested in and reach out to a faculty member with similar interests. Look over some core reading materials on the topic and demonstrate that you are self-motivated to advance your knowledge.

Ph.D. Informatics

Why did you choose UC Irvine for your graduate studies?

UCI’s Department of Informatics is unique. It offers me the opportunity to
have great mentors from different disciplines, from software engineering to
anthropology to cognitive science. That means my fellow Ph.D. classmates
also come from a wide range of backgrounds, which excites me.

What has been your favorite class so far?

My favorite class so far was one of the first courses I took here: Research
Methods in Informatics with Melissa Mazmanian. The class was a mix of a
methodological survey course, a casual Q&A session with a lead researcher,
and a workshop for practicing writing as a craft.

Have you had any internships or jobs?

Not since coming to Irvine. Last summer, I stayed on campus doing research
with my adviser, Constance Steinkuehler. As an undergrad back East, I
spent a couple of summers interning as a research assistant for Bob Slevc at
the University of Maryland’s Language and Music Cognition Lab.

Can you tell us about your research?

My work focuses on exploring what we can learn about how people and
computers think together in teams in time-pressured environments. Having
a scholarship Esports Program here at UCI has been invaluable, because it
provides the perfect context for me to observe people working in teams with
computers, maintaining high levels of focus and coordination for hours at a
time.

What has been the best part of your experience so far?

Getting to know my colleagues and professors, who are all great.

What has been the most unexpected part of your experience?

The collaborative nature of the department. Many of the universities I visited
when trying to decide where to go for my Ph.D. had a reputation for
harboring a competitive atmosphere in which students are always vying to
outdo each other to get the professors' attention. That’s not the case here.
Some of the best work I've seen people do in UCI's Department of
Informatics has come from collaborations that grew organically out of the
supportive and constantly curious culture here.

What are your aspirations for the future?

I love research, and my current work is bringing me into fields I never knew
existed, so I know there will always be more to learn. I'll go where my work
takes me.

Any advice for prospective graduate students interested in the program?

Talk to the professors and students already in the program. People are
happy to answer questions, and just having conversations is likely the best
way to get a feel for the people here and what we do.