Samer Al-Kiswany
What are your main responsibilities or activities in your current position?
Conduct cutting edge research with my MS and PhD students. Teaching graduate and undergraduate courses. Departmental and technical community services.
How does your current work relate to your graduate degree?
Build a skill to identify great research problems. Gain project execution skills. Build communication skills to share our results in paper and presentations. Gained commercialization through courses and through patenting parts of my dissertation.
Is your current career path as you originally intended?
Yes.
What motivated you to pursue graduate work at UBC?
An excellent research group in my field. Well-known adviser to work with. University reputation and location in Vancouver.
What did you enjoy the most about your time as a graduate student at UBC?
Working on impact-full research problems. Being able to enjoy the magnificent backcountry of BC.
What key things did you do, or what attitudes or approaches did you have, that contributed to your success?
Work hard, make sure to learn something new every term, diversify your experience ( I did 5 internships in my PhD to explore different domains).
What is your best piece of advice for current graduate students preparing for their future careers?
Graduate study can open multiple career options for you; from academia, industrial research, startups, to specialized highly trained person in the industry. Figure out early what do you like to do after your PhD and tailor your PhD to best help you in your career and to make you competitive in the market.
How did you find out about/obtain your current position?
The University of Waterloo website.
How are jobs normally posted and filled in your organization or industry?
University website, CRA.org