Lovedeep Gondara, PhD, Computing Science

What was a highlight or favourite moment from your time at SFU?

It was the quality of instruction when I took the initial courses and the enthusiasm of the professors (senior or not) teaching the classes. It set the groundwork for the rest of the classes.

How has your experience at SFU prepared you for your career path?

I worked at BC Cancer while pursuing my PhD, and my experience during my PhD has made me a principled and grounded researcher with the ability to communicate complicated ideas in a simple manner.

What advice would you like to share with students in their first year?

In addition to focusing on the coursework and planning for immediate research projects, think about the bigger picture: what larger problems these are solving and how they can be integrated into a cohesive thesis.

What are your current plans?

I plan to keep working in the healthcare domain and keep my research agenda of applying machine learning to healthcare.

What was your research focus?

I have primarily focused on privacy-preserving and decentralized machine learning. My research helps to address the issues that are found in applications such as learning prediction models from electronic health records distributed over multiple hospitals or labs, fraudulent transaction detection using data stored at multiple financial institutions, and more. This helps to eliminate traditional barriers to collaboration and allows for data collection that provides uniform and reliable information without losing privacy. My proposed methods are in the process of being implemented in the healthcare domain in Canada.

Akbar Rafiey, PhD, Computing Science

What was a highlight or favourite moment from your time at SFU?

The highlight of my time at SFU was getting to know and falling in love with my wife, who also was a PhD student at SFU at the time.

How has your experience at SFU prepared you for your career path?

During my PhD at SFU, I had the opportunity to explore new topics and participate in several internship programs and symposiums. These experiences, such as my internships at NII, Japan, and Meta, exposed me to diverse research problems, expanding my toolkit and knowledge base. This, in turn, has given me the confidence to explore new topics and challenge myself as a researcher to venture into uncharted domains.

What advice would you like to share with students in their first year?

Be patient; you are doing fine if you are making little progress. The balance between your work/study and personal life is essential. Remember to take breaks and explore new opportunities.

What are your current/future plans?

After graduating from SFU, I started as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

What was your research focus? 

I mainly focused on two topics: privacy-preserving algorithms and theoretical computer science. My work resulted in developing privacy-preserving and practical algorithms for several central tasks in data science. I also spent a substantial amount of time developing new theories for a fundamental problem in mathematics and computer science problem known as Ideal Membership Problem (IMP). My contributions focused on developing tools to address and deepen our understanding of this important problem effectively.

Zeshi Yang, PhD, Computing Science

What was a highlight or favourite moment from your time at SFU?

One of the highlights of my time at SFU was the experience of working closely with my lab mates during the final days before deadlines. The collaborative atmosphere and shared dedication created a memorable and enjoyable environment. During this time, we bonded, supported each other, and collectively pushed ourselves to meet project milestones.

How has your experience at SFU prepared you for your career path?

My experience at SFU provided a strong foundation in scientific research. I gained problem-solving skills, research expertise, and strong communication abilities through rigorous academics, hands-on projects, and research opportunities.

What advice would you like to share with students in their first year?

In their first year, I advise students to embrace the freedom to explore different research topics without limiting themselves to specific areas. By exposing yourself to a variety of subjects, you open doors to discovering your true passion. Through trying different things, you can find what indeed resonates with you. So, I encourage you to remain open-minded, embrace curiosity, and allow yourself the opportunity to uncover your interests and strengths as you navigate your academic journey.

What are your current/future plans?

I will join MiHoYo as a researcher and continue my research, aiming to develop the next generation of game engines.

What was your research focus?

My research focuses on physics-based character animation and motion control, which studies how to synthesize physically-valid motion skills for virtual avatars and real robots. A long-standing goal of my research is to develop artificial agents that can replicate human movement behaviors.

Anmol Saini, BSc, Computing Science (major) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

What was a highlight or favourite moment from your time at SFU?

A highlight at SFU was as a FAS Outreach volunteer, where I had the privilege of inspiring young girls who displayed an interest in computer science. I had the opportunity to connect with these young women, share the possibilities and impacts made in this field, and guide them in a manner I would have appreciated during my journey.

What projects/research have you/are you working on, and what has been the impact?

As a computing science major with a minor in geographic information science, I completed an advanced remote sensing project during my last term at SFU. The project aimed to assess forest fire risk variables and trends over time in B.C. by utilizing remote sensing concepts and technical methods to examine burned area extent and severity. I am currently working to improve this project further.

How has your experience at SFU prepared you for your career path?

The key factor in preparing myself for a promising future lies in the valuable co-op experience I acquired. Through my two internships, I gained firsthand exposure to the realities of the professional world, which honed my technical expertise relevant to my chosen field. I instilled in me the qualities of a competent professional.

What advice would you like to share with students in their first year?

One advice I would offer to incoming students is to participate in campus clubs and organizations. Transitioning from high school to post-secondary can be intimidating, and forming new friendships can be challenging. By joining a club, you stay connected to campus activities and meet like-minded individuals who share your interests and passions.

What are your current/future plans?

I have been offered and gladly accepted a position at MDA Systems as a Junior Integration, Verification & Validation Engineer within the Satellite Ground Segment Systems team. In this role, my primary duties involve developing test programs and implementing software subsystems for current and upcoming projects.

Read more about Anmol here>>>

Noble Tan, BSc, Computing Science

What was a highlight or favourite moment from your time at SFU?

I’ve had many memorable moments as I took on positions such as the First Year Representative of CSSS and grew into more prominent roles like Co-President of WiCs. A favorite memory is spearheading SFU’s inaugural large-scale hackathon, StormHacks, as the Director of Logistics at SFU Surge. It was truly fulfilling to see the lasting impact on our university community.

What projects/research have you/are you working on, and what has been the impact?

I am a Development Manager at Electronic Arts on the FIFA Live Content Production/Vanity Team. My team supports all of the live content presently released in FIFA 23. To ensure the success of the game and provide the best user experience, I lead the team in capacity planning, improving game performance, and delivering timely releases

How has your experience at SFU prepared you for your career path?

During my time at SFU, I had the opportunity to complete five semesters of co-op experiences, enabling me to explore diverse roles in software engineering, project management, and financial analysis. These valuable opportunities shaped my future career and helped me gain insights into various industry positions. Furthermore, they enabled me to gain essential soft skills, including teamwork and leadership.

What advice would you like to share with students in their first year?

I advise you to step out of your comfort zone and actively immerse yourself in student unions, clubs, and campus events. These spaces provide valuable networking opportunities, forge lifelong friendships, and explore diverse possibilities. Personally, I discovered my potential as a project manager by venturing into networking events and forming new connections within the community.

What are your current/future plans?

Currently, I am working as Development Manager at Electronic Arts on the FIFA Live Content Production team; my role involves leading a team by overseeing risk management, process improvement, and capacity allocation. I ensure our team can successfully deliver in-game content for patch releases and events on the platform while maintaining optimal performance.