Karthik Pattabiraman named 2021 Distinguished Scientist by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
UBC Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Karthik Pattabiraman has been named as one of 2021’s 63 ACM Distinguished Scientists by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
ACM Distinguished Membership recognizes scientists with significant professional experience and notable achievements in computing. Members are chosen from leading universities, corporations and research institutions all over the world. “The Distinguished Members program is a way both to celebrate the trailblazing work of our members, and to underscore how participation with a professional society enhances one’s career growth. This award category also emphasizes how ACM’s worldwide membership is the foundation of our organization,” explains ACM President Gabriele Kotsis.
Karthik was recognized by ACM in the category Outstanding Scientific Contributions to Computing. At ECE, Karthik is a researcher in Dependable Computer Systems, Computer Security, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Software Engineering at ECE . He joined ECE from a postdoctoral position at Microsoft Research. While at Microsoft, Karthik initiated and led the Flikker project, which was one of the first papers in the field of what is now known as “approximate computing” or “good enough computing”- a term he coined. At UBC, Karthik has published more than 100 papers with his students, and 12 of these papers have received distinguished paper awards at prestigious venues such as DSN. He has also collaborated with companies such as Intel, Nvidia, AMD, IBM, Cisco, and Huawei.
Karthik is listed in the DSN conference hall of fame (as the only Canadian researcher listed). He is a vice-chair of the IFIP Working Group 10.4 on Dependable Computing and Fault-tolerance, a member of the steering committees of the IEEE/IFIP International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks (DSN), and the IEEE Pacific Rim International Conference on Dependable Computing (PRDC).
His awards and recognitions include the Inaugural Rising Star in Dependability Award in 2020, UIUC CS department’s early career alumni achievement award in 2018, UBC Killam mentoring excellence award in 2020, UBC Killam Faculty Research Prize in 2018, UBC Killam Faculty Research Fellowship in 2016, NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement (DAS) in 2015, and the William Carter Dissertation Award in 2008. Of the 2021 ACM Distinguished Scientists, Karthik is the only Canadian receiving this honour.
Read more about ACM
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ECE Perspectives: Sakshi Mishra, Forbes 30 Under 30
“My desire to be part of the solution for climate change problems, a keen interest in conducting research in the all-things-electrified domain, and fascination with the field of artificial intelligence – these are the key drivers that led me to the path I’m on.”
Sakshi Mishra is a PhD student at UBC Electrical and Computer Engineering, a researcher with the Blockchain@UBC research cluster- and a new member of the 2022 Forbes 30 under 30.
Sakshi, who was acknowledged in the ‘Energy’ category, is working on the possibilities of blockchain in sustainable energy. Before joining Electrical and Computer Engineering, she spearheaded research into energy decision-making and forecasting tools at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was a Grid Planning Engineer at American Electric Power (AEP), and was an advisor at GreenTech Alliance. The Forbes award-winning research she’s now pursuing at ECE focuses on the use of peer-to-peer energy trading to coordinate energy distribution- a project that could transform how renewable energy is used by electric vehicles, buildings, and whole energy grids.
Sakshi joins us for an interview where she reflects on this award, discusses her research into new sustainable energy technologies, and shares the inspirations and experiences that led her to this milestone.
Congratulations! How do you feel about being named on the Forbes 30 under 30?
Thank you! I see it as an exciting ‘checkpoint’ in my journey – a reaffirmation that my efforts so far have been headed in the right direction. When the goal is to push the envelope of what’s possible in the realm of AI and energy nexus, Forbes 30 Under 30 is a good platform to highlight what’s been done and shed light on the tremendous potential that this technology holds for helping solve climate change problems.
Your work focuses on the interaction of AI, energy systems, and blockchain. How does this work? What are you developing with these applications?
My research focuses on designing a smart digital platform (using artificial intelligence) and devising effective incentive mechanisms for peers to exchange energy data and trade energy without the need for an intermediary. Blockchain technology helps accomplish the later objective of facilitating peer-to-peer trading without the need for centralized authority.
What’s the long-term potential of your work? What impact will your work have on climate change?
To mitigate climate change issues, one of the most important steps is to reduce the carbon footprint. One effective way of reducing carbon emission is using clean energy technologies for generating energy, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuel-based generation technologies. Society is making strides towards that goal by deploying more renewable energy generation plants. Small-scale renewable energy, referred to as ‘distributed energy resources’ (DERs) are also a part of this effort. As the DER deployment grows, more and more end-users or consumers will produce energy on-site from renewable energy resources such as rooftop solar panels. We should find a way for these DER producers to sell the excess energy they generate, so that the economics of the deployment plays out in their favor – designing a platform for trading this energy (which is generated by residential and commercial buildings as opposed to centralized utility-scale energy generation plants) is my focus.
In short, enabling peer-to-peer energy markets is a strong incentivization mechanism for more clean energy deployment – and it can be accomplished with the help of AI and Blockchain technologies.
What’s exciting or fascinating about this research for you?
Artificial Intelligence methods and Blockchain technology together enable so much that couldn’t be done a decade ago – be it creating a way for secure data exchange, or obtaining accurate energy consumption profile predictions. Putting together the pieces of this puzzle, which involves physical systems and digital layers, has been made possible because of the advancements in these two key technologies. Tinkering with code-bases involving these two technologies fascinates me a lot!
What inspired you to go into this field?
Growing up, I loved math and science. I received enough support and encouragement to keep marching forward (which was pretty unusual for girls in my community in the country I grew up in, at that time). In high school, I got exposed to the science of renewable energy and participated in a project to build tiny wind-mill models – I found it exciting. Electrical Engineering then seemed like a strong option to pursue.
During my undergraduate education, I became increasingly interested in grid-edge technologies like distributed energy resources and infusing intelligence in the grid to operate these resources. This led me to the opportunity to conduct my bachelor’s thesis at Deakin University, Australia. Conducting hardware-in-the-loop experiments in Deakin’s Renewable Energy was a rewarding experience. Later, during my graduate studies at Carnegie Mellon University, I began gravitating towards the field of artificial intelligence. My desire to be part of the solution for climate change problems, a keen interest in conducting research in the all-things-electrified domain, and fascination with the field of artificial intelligence – these are the key drivers that led me to the path I’m on. Another critical factor was the inspiration and encouragement from many mentors and advisors along the way.
You’ve been involved in organizations like Women in AI and the Society of Women Engineers. Why did you choose to become involved with these organizations? What’s your perspective on women in engineering?
I experienced a fair amount of resistance from elders in the family when I wanted to become an engineer. My grandfather had the mentality that investing in a girl’s education is not a good use of the constrained resources they had. Fortunately, my parents were supportive of my continued education, so I made the tough decision to choose an electrical engineering major and go to college, and it worked out well for me.
Since my undergrad days, in my journey, a big ally has been the inspiration and encouragement from many mentors and advisors along the way – I am involved with these organizations as a way to paying it forward, by helping young girls see and understand that STEM is an exciting and rewarding career to pursue. There is worldwide momentum in raising awareness about the importance of STEM education for girls and women within communities. Yet we are a long way from making it an even playing field for humanity.
Also, I strongly believe choosing to pursue a STEM career does not have to be a “swim against the tide” decision for young girls and women in today’s world. We need the huge, untapped potential of female talent, whose contributions can help build a sustainable future for the planet. Science and engineering fields cannot afford to miss out on the contributions of many talented individuals because of their gender.
Why did you choose UBC for your Ph.D.?
My background was in artificial intelligence and energy systems. I needed to learn Blockchain skills for making progress towards my vision of my Ph.D. research – Blockchain@UBC was the right fit. Moreover, I found the research being conducted at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of UBC interesting. These two factors combined made UBC my destination for conducting Ph.D. research. It was only after I landed in Vancouver that I realized that magnificent views, beautiful campus, and pleasant weather are additional perks of being at UBC!
Sakshi Mishra’s Forbes 30 Under 30 profile
Stretchy, washable battery brings wearable devices closer to reality
UBC researchers have created what could be the first battery that is both flexible and washable. It works even when twisted or stretched to twice its normal length, or after being tossed in the laundry.
“Wearable electronics are a big market and stretchable batteries are essential to their development,” says Dr. Ngoc Tan Nguyen (he/him), a postdoctoral fellow at UBC Electrical and Computer Engineering. “However, up until now, stretchable batteries have not been washable. This is a critical addition if they are to withstand the demands of everyday use.”
The battery developed by Dr. Nguyen and his colleagues offers a number of engineering advances. In normal batteries, the internal layers are hard materials encased in a rigid exterior. The UBC team made the key compounds—in this case, zinc and manganese dioxide—stretchable by grinding them into small pieces and then embedding them in a rubbery plastic, or polymer. The battery comprises several ultra-thin layers of these polymers wrapped inside a casing of the same polymer. This construction creates an airtight, waterproof seal that ensures the integrity of the battery through repeated use.
It was team member Bahar Iranpour (she/her), a PhD student, who suggested throwing the battery in the wash to test its seal. So far, the battery has withstood 39 wash cycles and the team expects to further improve its durability as they continue to develop the technology.
“We put our prototypes through an actual laundry cycle in both home and commercial-grade washing machines. They came out intact and functional and that’s how we know this battery is truly resilient,” says Iranpour.
The choice of zinc and manganese dioxide chemistry also confers another important advantage. “We went with zinc-manganese because for devices worn next to the skin, it’s a safer chemistry than lithium-ion batteries, which can produce toxic compounds when they break,” says Nguyen.
An affordable option
Work is under way to increase the battery’s power output and cycle life, but already the innovation has attracted commercial interest. The researchers believe that when the new battery is ready for consumers, it could cost the same as an ordinary rechargeable battery.
“The materials used are incredibly low-cost, so if this is made in large numbers, it will be cheap,” says Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Dr. John Madden (he/him), director of UBC’s Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Lab who supervised the work. In addition to watches and patches for measuring vital signs, the battery might also be integrated with clothing that can actively change colour or temperature.
“Wearable devices need power. By creating a cell that is soft, stretchable and washable, we are making wearable power comfortable and convenient.”
The battery is described in a new paper published recently in Advanced Energy Materials.
ECE Perspectives: Abdullah Al-Digs, Power System Studies Consultant
“My industry and graduate research experiences focus on developing real-time tools to operate future power systems reliably and economically… I firmly believe that my research is vital to enabling wide integration of renewable energy.”
Abdullah Al-Digs graduated from ECE with a BASc in Electrical Engineering in 2015, and with a PhD in Electrical Engineering in 2021. Following graduation, he’s begun as a Power System Studies Consultant at PSC Power Systems Consultants. While at ECE, Abdullah studied power systems analysis, developing an expertise in the subject that he’ll now take into his work in the industry.
We spoke to Abdullah to learn about his research in power and energy systems, and how this focus area has taken him from his studies at ECE to his current work in the industry.
What is your current position? What kinds of work do you do?
I am currently a power system studies consultant at PSC North America. In this role, I am involved in the various stages of generation interconnection studies within the PJM power system. Specifically, I develop and test models for renewable generation units such as solar plants, battery energy storage, and wind turbines. These models are then used to perform system impact studies, which serves to ensure the reliable and secure operation of the power system.
How did you find this job (through interviewing, networking, etc.)? What was the process of getting the job like?
I was fortunate enough to know someone who works at PSC North America and referred me to the company following my Ph.D. degree graduation.
The hiring process differs slightly between different companies- however, most job hunts will involve between two to three interviews in the industry. The timeline also varies significantly between different companies for them to make hiring decisions. Overall, I learned that it’s important to reach out to people through networking platforms such as LinkedIn. I was surprised by the responses I received and how my network connections were willing to provide advice and share their industry insights.
What has your career path been like so far?
My career path starting point was acquiring a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electrical Engineering in the power and energy systems option from UBC in 2015. I then pursued a Ph.D. degree in power systems at UBC which I completed in 2021. During my six years of graduate studies, I was involved in many research projects that led to several publications and awards.
I discovered my passion for teaching and served as a teaching assistant for several undergraduate- and graduate-level power system courses, and in recognition of my contributions to teaching and student learning, I received the prestigious Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award in 2019.
Shortly after completing my graduate studies, I joined PSC North America as a power system studies consultant where I currently perform generation interconnection studies in the PJM power system.
How does your career path and graduate experience connect to your current position?
Modern electric power systems are undergoing dramatic changes due to heterogeneity in electricity sources, such as energy-storage devices, fuel cells, and renewable generation.
Renewable generation introduces levels of variability and uncertainty that are unprecedented in conventional power systems. These special circumstances require the development of analytically tractable and computationally efficient operational schemes for integrating existing systems with emerging electricity generation technologies. Such schemes will help to achieve reliable, cost-effective, and robust electrical power systems with improved system stability, efficiency, and environmental footprint.
My industry and graduate research experiences focus on developing real-time tools to operate future power systems reliably and economically. Specifically, I focus on controlling and predicting post-contingency dynamic transmission-line flows, estimation of feasible active-power nodal injections, and frequency response design. As such, I firmly believe that my research is vital to enabling wide integration of renewable energy generation and preventing severe system-wide failures.
Additionally, my research has the potential to provide tools for power system operators to address severe operational reliability issues in real-time. Realization of this research will enable practical advancements in power system operation and control, which will help to accommodate renewable generation technologies, enhance system responsiveness, and optimize asset utilization, thus bringing us closer to the Smart Grid vision.
What do you enjoy most about this line of work?
I am most excited about contributing to the transition of the power industry towards renewable and more sustainable alternative energy sources. This paradigm shift from a system dominated by high-inertia fossil fuel-based generators to one with low-inertia renewable energy sources presents its unique challenges. However, the excitement for me lies in the challenge of developing new operational schemes and tools to accommodate this necessary transformation.
Do you have any tips or suggestions for a student interested in entering the industry in your field?
Although a graduate degree is not required to enter our industry, it is certainly preferred in many companies. A graduate degree allows you to refine your skillset and contribute to the field in a greater capacity with the knowledge acquired from state-of-the-art research performed during your studies.
Find Abdullah on Linkedin or at his personal site.
Krishan Dayal Srivastava, 1931-2021
Krishan Dayal Srivastava (KD), former Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, as well as Vice President of Student and Academic Services, passed away on October 20th. He will be dearly missed.
KD came to Canada from England in 1966, where he was professor and later Chair of Electrical Engineering at University of Waterloo. He arrived at UBC in 1983, serving as Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, and later began as Vice President of Student and Academic Services in 1986.
KD was one of the key individuals behind the founding of the Centre for Integrated Computer Systems Research, now ICICS. This institute now helps to drive pioneering interdisciplinary research between Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering. In his work, he made important contributions in the power area, in particular in the study of high-voltage engineering. He was instrumental in a UBC committee that planned a Kuwaiti university, and founded a new university in Trinidad after his retirement.
He was an early supporter of diversity initiatives, and championed female engineers in their careers. In his role as VP, he cared deeply about the well-being of students and worked to support them. In addition, KD was a Thunderbirds football fan.
KD was a vital part of our Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, as well as UBC as a whole. His many contributions to engineering, both at UBC and abroad, will be well-remembered, and his kindness, wisdom, and intelligence will be greatly missed.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
Full obituary.
ECE Student Perspectives: Eric Cheng, SFU I2I Venture Pitch Winner
“Cell sequencing is changing the way we understand the most fundamental unit of life, but there are still many bottlenecks… This was the inspiration for Isolatrix.”
Eric Cheng is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering at UBC, supervised by Dr. Karen Cheung. He’s passionate about using cutting edge techniques in microfluidics and machine learning to solve challenging life science problems.
Eric has recently won the ‘Invention to Innovation’ Venture Pitch Competition at SFU in the Product Ready Venture category. At this event, qualifying students pitch their ventures to a panel of judges comprised of angel investors, IP experts and successful entrepreneurs. Eric’s winning initiative, Isolatrix, leverages deep learning to perform highly precise single cell isolation, enabling whole genome sequencing applications.
We spoke to him to learn more about his pioneering initiative, the importance of cell isolation in the biomedical field, and the path that led him to this field.
Congratulations! How do you feel about this award?
I am humbled to have won the 2021 SFU Invention to Innovation (i2I) pitch competition. I went against very talented competition, who each presented groundbreaking, commercially viable innovations.
Over the one-year course of the SFU i2I program, our cohort gained competency and refined and assisted each other, developing a strong sense of camaraderie as we embarked on our scientific-entrepreneurial journeys. I have nothing but respect for my peers, as we’re all aiming to bring important innovations to the green-tech and health-tech markets. It was a great experience to have just shared the stage with them.
What is the topic of your award-winning project?
The innovation I presented at the pitch competition was a unique AI-guided approach for a single cell isolation instrument, which is currently in development in our lab.
In contrast to traditional bulk sequencing, where information from homogenized mixtures of thousands or millions of cells is averaged over a population, our system of single cell analysis captures information from individual cells.
Capturing this information gives us the ability to profile tissue composition, identify rare cell subsets, characterize differentiation trajectories, and measure inter-cellular heterogeneity. Single cell genomics is already transforming our understanding of developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and disease.
Our Isolatrix system has the potential to impact cancer genomics, developmental biology, immunology, and beyond. Facilitating new technologies for enabling single cell analysis allows us to acheive previously unattainable levels of insight.
What is the future of your initiative? How can your project impact the industry?
The Isolatrix aims to democratize single cell sequencing, bringing affordable small-volume, large-scale single cell omics experiments to research labs and beyond.
By creating technologies that can profile genomes, transcriptomes, and epigenomes, our initiative allows for the advancement of the understanding of diseases, such as cancers, by studying individual tumor cells. This can reveal the mechanisms underlying treatment resistance and metastatic progression, and pave the way for improved clinical outcomes for patients.
How did you get started studying this? What draws you to this area?
Our lab has been conducting research on cell handling technologies for a while now. I did my master’s in the same lab at UBC, studying complex hydrodynamics within inkjet systems, and solving challenges for cell handling applications. Through interactions with members of the Genome Sciences Centre, I saw firsthand the impact single cell sequencing is having on life science today. Cell sequencing is changing the way we understand the most fundamental unit of life, but there are still many bottlenecks in the workflow, with gaps in technology in cell preparation. This was the inspiration for the Isolatrix instrument.
By using deep learning to provide a high throughput solution guaranteeing high capture and high single cell purity, we are streamlining the process to enable larger scale solutions which were previously limited through either resources or costs.
What has your career path been like so far? Where do you hope you’ll be in 5 years?
After obtaining my master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at UBC, I spent some time working in the industry before returning for my PhD studies at Electrical and Computer Engineering. In five years, it is our goal to commercialize the Isolatrix instrument and have it integrated into single cell sequencing workflows internationally, making contributions to the advancement of life science.
Learn more about SFU I2I Venture Pitch.
ECE Student Perspectives: David Black, BMIAI Fall Research Award winner
“Bringing a robot to life and getting it to interact with its environment is always exciting and satisfying.”
David Black is a PhD student at Electrical and Computer Engineering. Under the supervision of Tim Salcudean, David researches control and artificial intelligence in medical robots. His recent presentation at the 2021 BMIAI conference, “Human Teleoperation: A Haptically-Enabled Mixed Reality Interface for Teleultrasound”, won BMIAI’s Fall Research Showcase research award.
We spoke to him to learn more about his award-winning research, his career, and what excites him about the future of medical robotics technology.
Congratulations! How do you feel about this award?
Thank you, I’m excited to have been selected! I thought all the presentations were very interesting and well done, and I enjoyed meeting and talking to various students and faculty after. Winning an award at the end was an added bonus!
What has your career path looked like so far? How did you end up at ECE, and why did you choose our department?
I did my undergrad in Engineering Physics at UBC. During that time, I developed an interest in research and medical robotics, through work at Carl Zeiss Meditec AG in Germany and a local robotics start-up, as well as a lab in Germany, at the BC Cancer Research Centre, and with ECE’s Prof. Tim Salcudean. After finishing my bachelor’s degree, it was clear to me that I wanted to do research at the intersection of medical robotics and imaging. Prof. Salcudean’s lab occupies exactly this space, and I knew and liked the people in the lab. Additionally, I love Vancouver and its proximity to the mountains (where I spend most of my free time), so graduate studies under Prof. Salcudean seemed like the ideal next step. I was lucky enough to publish some of my work in journals and conferences throughout my undergraduate studies, so I was able to start as a direct-entry PhD student in ECE, exactly two days after finishing the last exam of my undergrad.
What do you study?
My research focuses on control and artificial intelligence in medical robotics. The Robotics and Control Lab is uniquely equipped with novel force sensing technology, which is built into the da Vinci Surgical System that we use. With this setup, we can investigate control architectures for haptic feedback in robotic surgery, and can use force data in reinforcement learning to train the robot to carry out tasks such as suturing autonomously. We are applying the same concepts to develop a novel control framework, which leverages mixed reality and 5G to effectively use a human as a flexible, safe, and cognitive robot for tele-medicine applications such as tele-ultrasound. The basic premise is that a person wears a mixed reality headset which projects a holographic virtual tool into their space. They then follow the tool, which is controlled in real time by a remote expert, with their own real one. In this work, haptics, teleoperation, and artificial intelligence again play a key role. This latter project is what I presented for the BMIAI event.
How did you get started studying this topic?
I first took an interest in surgical robotics quite a few years ago, because my dad uses surgical robots in his practice. The broad nature of Engineering Physics allowed me to take courses and work on projects in all aspects of robotics, from hardware to electrical design to software, and to take physics courses where my interest for medical imaging was born. Engineering Physics is also fairly math-heavy, which leads well into robotics, controls, and AI. Thus, I gained this very multidisciplinary set of interests, and I was fortunate to find an impactful field of study that involves all of these topics.
What interests you most about your research?
I really enjoy the multidisciplinary nature of my work. One day I might be coding, while the next day I might design a mechanical part, and then outfit it with an electrical system, all with the underlying physics of the application in mind. In addition, bringing a robot to life and getting it to act in a certain way and actually interact with its environment is always exciting and satisfying- when it works! Ultimately a lot of my research involves looking at how a human interacts with a robot or computer in new ways, and drawing biological parallels- for example, the parallels between human versus machine intelligence or sensory perception- or even controlling a person as one would usually control a robot – which I find fascinating. Finally, it is very rewarding to work towards goals that could actually impact people and improve their healthcare and lives.
What’s something people wouldn’t expect about your research topic?
Though we live in one of the world’s most prosperous countries, almost a fifth of Canadians live in rural communities which have substandard access to healthcare. This is especially problematic in many First Nations communities where government healthcare is not necessarily delivered in a culturally sensitive manner. My research topic aims to address both these issues by allowing people to access healthcare in their own homes, delivered by people they trust, and teleoperated by experts.
Learn more about David’s work at his Github portfolio.
Staff Perspectives: Ross Sheppard, President’s Staff Award
“I think the role staff play in creating a safe, positive, and welcoming space where students can feel validated and heard is incredibly important… It can make all the difference when students feel supported.”
Congratulations to UBC Electrical and Computer Engineering’s Student Services Manager Ross Sheppard, who has been awarded a President’s Staff Award for Enhancing the UBC Experience! These awards recognize the personal achievements and contributions that staff make to UBC.
At Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ross supports ECE students. He’s been instrumental in improving the ECE student experience, and in his time at the department has spearheaded the creation of onboarding resources and orientations for new students, initiatives to connect the ECE student body with industry, other departments, and other students, student newsletters, and wellness resources. He’s helped to build a stronger sense of community and connection among students in the department that he hopes can continue to grow, and if you’re a student in our department, you’ve probably seen him at least once!
We spoke to Ross to learn more about his time at ECE, his perspective on Student Services, and why supporting students in Engineering is so important.
Congratulations! How do you feel about this award?
I feel honored to receive this award! It means a lot to me, as I know our team in ECE has done a lot of work over the past few years to try to improve the student experience at ECE. We have lots more still to do, but to be recognized for this award this year has been wonderful and I’m very excited about it!
How did you get started at ECE? How did you get to where you are now?
I started at ECE at the reception desk many years ago! The part of my job I liked the most was helping students whenever they would come in, and through a few staff openings in the admissions team/graduate program, I entered into more of an advising role. I really enjoyed advising, and this led to an eventual management position. I’m happy to say I enjoy my current work with our student services team more than ever, as we’re taking an active role in supporting and enhancing the experience of our student cohort. The other ECE managers and student services team has played a huge role in supporting me over the years get to where I am now, as well.
What do you like most about working at ECE?
My favourite thing about working in ECE has to be the staff I work alongside of, as well as the many students we see start and finish their programs through the years. I’ve met a lot of very cool people during my time in ECE, doing some awesome work and research. I’ve gotten to learn about a variety of engineering topics through the student interactions I have — during advising, social events, onboarding meetings, etc!
It’s also very satisfying to assist students during milestones in their programs, from basic steps to more challenging moments, and helping them move through to eventually graduate.
What’s important to you about working with students?
Aside from the logistical and procedural parts of a university program that our team helps students with (which is indeed important), the most crucial part about working with students to me is being able to provide a safe and “human” attitude towards their experience, where they feel listened to, and understood and supported.
I remember being a student myself, struggling through a busy program, and dealing with the challenges of transitioning to the university experience. I think the role staff play in creating a safe, positive, and welcoming space where students can feel validated and heard is incredibly important for their time at UBC. It can make all the difference when students feel supported — especially with how challenging an engineering program can be.
What should a student do if they’re looking for support?
If a student is looking for support, I want to reinforce that they can always, always, always email help@ece.ubc.ca to get in touch with me or our student services team. While this email address may seem robotic, it actually does go right to myself and our staff, and we want to help as much as we can.
We also offer drop-in virtual advising multiple times each week, and I am always happy to meet for one-on-one advising as needed. Students don’t need to be worried about contacting us, as there are truly no questions too small for us to answer, and we are always there to help. In the rare case that we cannot help with certain questions, at the very least we will put a student in touch with the right campus resource that can help best.
Any tips for a new graduate or undergraduate student in ECE? What resources should they check out?
My biggest tip is, like I mentioned above, ask a question if you’re not sure about something! It’s always better to push through the initial discomfort of asking a question, rather than struggling with something for an extended period of time. Go for it if you’re not sure!
My other major tip is to take part in the social events at ECE, whether they’re casual breakfast socials with other students, workshops, student-led events, industry presentations, etc. There are so many ways to connect with people that can help in your program and beyond. You can find out about societies and clubs here or here, and can see what interesting events are coming up at Electrical and Computer Engineering here.
Your program at UBC is a great time to meet people and learn new things outside of your classes, and you never know what connections or information might lead you to an awesome and interesting place in your future or trigger an idea you haven’t thought about before. Take advantage of these opportunities when you can. It always helps to hear and learn about other people’s experiences!
ECE Faculty Perspectives – Meet Xiaoxiao Li
“In biomedicine, the consequences of failed or biased AI decision-making can be fatal, and there are many privacy risks in existing Al algorithms… These challenges are what really keep me up at night.”