Lakshmi Sivaram

School of Interactive Arts & Technology master's student in the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

I enjoy working with data (big or small), analyzing and using software tools to find insights from data. I love learning new data processing techniques and am thrilled to see how it makes the job faster and more efficient. Equally, I enjoy spending time with my family and my children exploring outdoors & learning new things.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

I hold a Master's degree and have worked in the industry for a few years. I was taking a career break to raise my family and wanted a path to come back to the workforce. I was then attracted to SFU because of its diverse and broad range of programs and its commitments to community-engaged projects and research. I came across the School of Interactive Arts & Technology (SIAT) and the interdisciplinary courses. Particularly , I was excited to learn about the Human Visualization Lab and the Data Viz projects under my Supervisor Dr.Lyn Bartram.

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

Digital health tools such as mobile health apps and smart wearable trackers are providing new options for managing personal health outside of traditional care settings. My project is to examine how visual analytics methods may serve to help people recognize patterns from this large set of collected data and reflect on their wellbeing and health-related behaviors.

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

I am enjoying various opportunities to learn from the very knowledgeable research community at SFU. My supervisors and my fellow colleagues are very supportive in my research which makes me feel very comfortable doing my work here.

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 Fraser Health Graduate Scholarship award in 2020. I am very grateful for the award as it encourages me to focus on the research work more and gives a moral boost to do more.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PROGRAM/POSTDOC POSITION TO SOMEONE STILL SEARCHING FOR A PROGRAM OR POSTDOC POSITION?

SFU has a great community of teaching faculties, mentors and graduate peers who are very supportive and make you feel at home. The atmosphere here is very welcoming for everyone.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE?

There are various support groups and socials happening in the campus. It will be a good opportunity to connect with peers through these events and be part of the community.

Contact : lkendays@sfu.ca