Where are you now working? Please describe your job.

I am currently with INRIX, a global transportation data company. I spend my day analyzing datasets, researching and implementing new algorithms and helping define new products.

How did your UW CEE degree prepare you for your career?

CEE was instrumental in helping me better understand and appreciate the breadth and depth of the issues in the transportation domain. I think that the ambiguity within this domain has helped me become a better analytical thinker.

Why did you choose UW CEE over other schools?

UW is beautiful! Also, it was the only school I applied to. However, I did apply to all the colleges at UW and chose CEE (and CSE). With CEE, I really liked the problem set – there are a lot of diverse, global and challenging problems to solve!

How did you first become interested in engineering?

Please don't cross-reference this with my original application... I forgot what I wrote – that was over 10 years ago! I suppose I was always building things as a kid and since I was surrounded by engineer relatives, my growing interest was quickly projected to a career... I have no regrets.

What was the program like?

I began doing research as an undergraduate, and really enjoyed the immediate agency of tackling some very open-ended problems. As I improved my skills and became more focused in my research, I had the pleasure of presenting at conferences, teaching undergraduate courses and even created a startup - opportunities that were instrumental my success today.

What did you enjoy most about the program?

I enjoyed the collaborative environment of my undergraduate years and the creative freedom and growth opportunities that I was allowed during my graduate tenure.

What aspect of the field are you particularly interested in?

I was initially drawn to the Environmental Sciences, but quickly shifted interest to Transportation – there is tremendous opportunity for change in this sector and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

If you were involved in research while completing the program, what did you work on?

I worked with Dr. Yinhai Wang on a number of research topics, from computer vision detection algorithms to remote sensing using Bluetooth. The work performed resulted in two patents and numerous publications and presentations.

Any advice for prospective students who are considering UW CEE?

CEE has many disciplines – be sure to speak to a few folks within each to get a better sense of what's interesting to you!