Notes for prospective students:
I receive a lot of emails from prospective students. While I may not be able
to respond to each email individually, here are some tips on what to include in
your email to catch my attention:
Phd Applicants:
If you're interested in working with me, you should apply to the Cornell CS PhD
program. Mention me in your application as a contact at Cornell (whether or not
we've actually spoken, this helps us route applications during review) and
mention me by name in your statement of purpose. Individual faculty can't
unilaterally make acceptance decisions, rather all decisions are made by an
admissions committee. Admissions are highly competitive.
PhD applicants are typically judged on research potential and if there is a
strong match of research interests. I look for students who have a strong
experience in software engineering research. Even if you have not published a
paper before, you can demonstrate your potential in several ways.
- Describe a challenging research project that you undertook
and what you learned from it. You can also share a GitHub link to a project
that you strongly contributed to. Also, precisely describe your role in the project.
-
Read one of my papers in depth and think about the what are potential
limitations of the approach, how you would improve it, or how you would extend
it.
-
If you have a strong background in related areas like machine learning or
programming languages, describe how you would apply your
expertise to software engineering research or to any of my prior research projects.
Finally, always include your latest CV and transcripts in your email.
Undergraduate Research:
I require really strong programming skills to work in my lab. If you can
demonstrate that you have these skills by describing a challenging project that
you worked on, that is great starting point.
More than anything, I look for students who are strongly motivated to learn, and who work hard.
Always include your latest CV and transcripts in your email.
Other Helpful Resources: