“After a week of teaching I was certain that teaching was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
What are your areas of research and teaching expertise?
My main research interests span the areas of social network analysis and web mining. I have also worked on projects in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), location-based services, and mobile computing. A common thread in my primary research is in understanding the underlying cultural and social phenomenon in online networks. I use mathematical methods from the areas of algorithms, statistical analysis, and probability, as well as techniques in data mining, machine learning, crawling, sentiment analysis, and textual analysis.
What is your teaching style?
According to one of my students “He is very excited to be teaching computer science, and does his best to make the subject interesting. He also tries to draw real world applications to help illustrate his examples.”
Describe your “lightbulb moment.”
I was working as a post-doctoral research fellow in Hewlett Packard labs and received an opportunity to be a visiting professor at Pomona College. After a week of teaching I was certain that teaching was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
What do you enjoy outside the classroom?
I am a weird combination of a nerd, an athlete and an aging hipster. I used to be a college radio DJ for 9 years (specializing in indie rock). I still go to a lot of indie rock concerts and write album reviews for a few online publications. I am also a huge crossfitter and enjoy playing DnD during my spare time.
What tips do you have for student success?
A lot of the time it comes down to the work you have put in and the habits you developed.
What campus traditions are your favorite?
Midnight express, I was asked a few times to serve students snacks. It was so much fun.
What is your favorite author/book?
Douglas Coupland (if you’re curious where the term “Generation X” comes from, it is from one of his books)
What is your favorite class to teach?
MCS-374: Software Development
Where is your favorite place on campus/in St Peter?
Lund center