Research with me

I have put this page together because I frequently get asked for research assistant (RA) positions. Regardless if we end up working together or not, it may also help you understand how to get involved in research and some expectations.

Current Status: At this time I do not have any open research positions or positions for independent study.

Recruitment

In general, you should have completed at least 1 course with me so I can have an understanding of your abilities and your interests to further pursue an independent study. Exceptions in exceptional cases apply (e.g. if you've done a co-op in something directly related to an interest area, we should have a chat!)

At any given time, I have the time/resources to take on 1-2 students. In the future, I may consider a reading group or taking on more students, but at this time I do not have the time to take on more students effectively. As that changes, I will update this page.

Research Areas of Interest

My research domains and focus (in the order below) are currently:

Computer Graphics - Geometry Processing/Levels of Detail
Software Visualization - Building tools that answer a question about software (usually performance related)
Static/Dynamic Analysis - Building tools to answer a question (usually performance related)

Generally speaking, when working with a faculty member (me or someone else), it can be useful to look at some of their recent publicatons to see what they are currently researching or interested in. My publications (sorted) are located here on Google Scholar.

What I need: in general are strong implementors of software. You need to be able to program and implement, often independently. If you are wanting to work with me, showing me previous work is a good sales pitch (i.e. what you have done versus what you wish to do).

How I reason about research/independent study supervision

The expectation is that you would be publishing original work at the end of the study at a conference venue. Generally speaking for us to work together, we must have a strong mutual interest, or you must be willing to work on a project I supervise in my domain of expertise, I am extremely hesitant to take on 'project pitches' (I have too many of my own I want to work on :)) unless you have good reason to believe I can help -- I only have a few domains of expertise to be of any help to you. )

I do not take on research projects and independent studies as a route to 'get you a class' because some other course is full or 'you need one class to graduate'. Research projects and independent studies are for me to train you as a researcher and prepare a student for a Ph.D. Generally I want to work with students who I can work with through multiple semesters. My time investment in you will be great!

General Advice on how to get involved in research

There are many faculty at Northeastern University who are looking for good students. There are also Summer 'REU' programs for undergraduate and other similar programs available for graduate students. Ask me after class for ways to engage in research, or continue exploring other faculty websites.

Specifically at Northeastern, the PEAK program [link here] can help you get up to speed. Students who want to work with me might show some initiative by exploring this program, and we can also use it as a way to get you funding for doing some research.

F.A.Q.

Q: What's the first thing I should do when working with you?
A: We should probably have a discussion about expectations, your work style, what helps make you feel successful. This should likely be an ongoing conversation as well, but at the least, it's probably good to have this conversation on earlier rather than later.
Q: Do you take students outside of your current university?
A: No, unfortunately I cannot take students where I do not hold a teaching appointment.
Q: I have graduated and cannot find a job, can you hire me for 1-semester after I graduate while I look for a job?
A: That is unfortunately not the proper arrangement for a research position. I am looking for folks I can work with long term while they complete their studies here at the university.