Kasra Jamshidi

Computing Science doctoral student in the Faculty of Applied Sciences

I'm a PhD student in the Parallel and Distributed Computing Lab, supervised by Keval Vora. I study large-scale graph mining systems, specifically leveraging algorithmic insights from graph mining workloads to design and implement more intelligent systems. I have lived in the lower mainland my whole life, and received my undergraduate degree in Computing Science from SFU in 2019. When I'm not tinkering with computers, I paint and take multi-day hiking trips.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

I worked with Keval Vora during my undergraduate studies, and found his brand of research immensely satisfying. It falls in the intersection of theory and practice which perfectly matches my interests in graph algorithms and big data processing. Moreover, SFU is a high-ranking research institution, home to several renowned researchers in data mining and systems, so I felt confident that my experience here would be a good one.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?

Data are often organized into networks: social networks connecting people with friends and acquaintances, transaction networks connecting payers and payees, and even biological networks connecting different proteins in a cell together. Researchers try to mine insights from these data, but standard algorithms cannot keep up with the size of the networks in the age of Big Data. I enable data mining on massive networked data by leveraging graph theoretic insights to develop more efficient algorithms as well as parallelizing the workloads to take advantage of today's multi-core computers.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

I enjoy collaborating with top-notch students to solve difficult problems. SFU attracts talented and interesting people from around the world, and I have loved getting to know my labmates.
I also love the campus, with its crisp mountain air and beautiful views. Driving down the mountain at dusk and seeing Mount Baker glowing orange in the distance is always a highlight of my day.

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.

I received the Clark Wilson LLP Graduate Scholarship, as well as multiple Graduate Fellowships from SFU. I am immensely grateful for these awards, as they allow me to focus on my research.

Contact : kjamshid@cs.sfu.ca

Additional Links 

• LinkedIn 
• Personal Website 
• Twitter