Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Amandeep Dania, Class of 2023

Previous Education: Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology

Previous Experience: Software Engineer at Airbus, Bangalore, India

In my career of working in the information and cloud security domains, I have realized that cyber assaults are only growing more complex, with threat actors employing advanced skills to breach a network. Organizations are observing increased cyber threats on their cloud infrastructure, which piqued my interest in learning more about cloud platforms and their security. SFU’s master’s program is the right fit for a professional like me who is looking for a fast-paced degree while continuing to acquire deep knowledge on advanced cyber security concepts. The co-op component was another highlight which gave me an opportunity to apply my security knowledge and skills to strengthen security controls in the corporate sector.

Janet Sun, Class of 2023

Previous Education: Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Economics, University of Toronto

Previous Experience: Data Analyst at CIBC, Toronto

To me, the excitement in data science is in its unparalleled universality – it can be applied to learn from historical data and improve future performance in almost any discipline. As everything we do generates data, there is huge potential to apply data science to improve the human condition in everything from finance, to weather, to medicine. I really like the hands-on lab courses and the co-op placement in the MPCS program because they prepared me well for working as a data scientist/big data developer in the industry.

Grace Liu, Class of 2022

Previous Education: Bachelor of Arts in Economics, National Taiwan University

Previous Experience: Machine Learning Engineer Intern at E.SUN Bank, Taipei, Taiwan

I studied Economics because I was fascinated by the idea of explaining human behaviour using data, and I also actively participated in CS/STAT courses to improve my technical skills. In my first data science internship, I developed a daily recommender system for a dating app, SweetRing. The experience of dealing with large amounts of real-life data excited me and motivated me to obtain more professional knowledge through SFU's master's program in professional computer science, as this program best helps me achieve my career goals of building scalable data products in the future.

Reza Asad, Class of 2020

Previous Education: Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Applied Mathematics, University of Toronto

Previous Experience: Data Scientist at Tamr, San Francisco Bay Area

While I was working I spent a lot of time outside my job to learn about cutting-edge developments in machine learning. In particular, a machine learning conference at Google led by Ian Goodfellow and his research group sparked my curiosity about deep learning and its applications to computer vision. The conference as well as the readings I completed afterwards were the main factors that inspired me to pursue a graduate degree where I could focus on visual data.

Uwe Helm, Class of 2022

Previous Education: Apprenticeship Diploma in IT Systems Integration, IHK Wiesbaden

Previous Experience: Faculty Member at School of Computing, BCIT, Vancouver

Prior to joining SFU, I worked in IT systems administration in the public and non-profit sectors in Germany and Canada. My professional interests include data science, cryptography, public policy, and information security ethics. Whether we like it or not, the world is getting more connected, and we need to take charge of how our personal information is secured, stored, and processed. SFU's master's program in professional computer science provides the perfect mix of hands-on practice and rigorous theory to deepen my knowledge. I’m looking forward to collaborating on exciting projects with SFU’s faculty and my fellow students.

Raksha Harish, Class of 2022

Previous Education: Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science, Visvesvaraya Technological University

Previous Experience: Data Science and AI Intern at Vision Digital India, Bangalore

I took a variety of computer science courses during my undergraduate studies, but my interest was really peaked by machine learning and data mining. I delved deeper into those subjects by taking relevant online courses and working on data science projects on the side. Before graduating in 2020, I had already made the decision to pursue a master's program in data science. The Master of Science in Professional Computer Science at SFU was the best fit for me, because the lab courses and the co-op prepare me for working as a data scientist in industry.

Zheren Xiao, Class of 2022

Previous Education: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Simon Fraser University

Previous Experience: Software Developer Co-op Student at VIPRE Security, Burnaby, BC

During my undergraduate studies, I took a computational photography course and was absolutely fascinated by the computer vision techniques and algorithms I learned about. SFU has a very good reputation in computer vision and graphics, and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity of learning from and working with the top experts in the field. For example, I have been working at SFU's visual computing lab, GrUVi, for some time, where I contribute to research projects under the guidance of Dr. Manolis Savva and Dr. Angel Chang. This experience has greatly deepened my understanding of visual computing and the tremendous impact it will have on our future lives.

Sameer Ahmed, Class of 2022

Previous Education: Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Computer Science, University of British Columbia

Previous Experience: Web Development Intern at Fabricoz, Sydney, Australia

Technology advancement is taking place at a breathtaking speed but, relatively speaking, not as much attention is given to making it secure. The growing relevance of information security in the near future is what drew me towards this program. Security to me is a niche in the IT industry which is only going to grow with the ongoing innovation in technology.

Jayleen Zhou, Class of 2020

Previous Education: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science & Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis

Previous Experience: Advertising Creative Developer at Fancy Pants Group, New York City

I was preparing a pitch for a client when I came across a video demo of an augmented reality installation that Purina had created in a shopping mall. The installation allowed customers to interact with Purina's cartoon mascot ‘Felix the cat’. Watching the video, I suddenly understood the appeal of augmented reality. I believe adding more of these kinds of installations in our daily lives will change the way we live, and I want to be one of the people who can create such content.

Babak Badkoubeh, Class of 2022

Previous Education: Master of Science in Controls Engineering, University of Calgary

Previous Experience: Software Engineer at Geoforce, Calgary

My career has revolved around cloud systems and big data captured by IoT devices, such as geolocations and sensor data. Dealing with such large amounts of data and having a solid background in control theory motivated me to learn more about machine learning and data science. The master's program in professional computer science is a great blend of theory and practice and allows me to connect with like-minded people. I enjoy learning more about cloud architectures and being able to receive feedback from experts. Adaptability to today’s rapidly changing industry needs is important to me, and SFU's curriculum excels in this area.