Jingjie Zheng

MMath - Human-computer interaction

Was your undergraduate in CS? If not, what did you study?
I majored in software engineering as an undergraduate.

Why did you choose graduate studies and why did you choose graduate studies in CS?
I chose to pursue a master’s degree as I enjoyed doing research. I had a few research experience in medical image processing and computer graphics during my time as an undergraduate. I found those to be very positive experiences and decided to dig deeper into topics that are of interest to me. Graduate studies at the University of Waterloo offer great opportunities in the realization of this goal.

What is your research area and why did you choose it?
Human-computer interaction. This area is interdisciplinary, meaning that it covers a variety of facets in both computer science and psychology. The research is cutting-edge, and this allows our research to easily convert into real-world applications.

Who is your supervisor and why did you choose to work with him/her?
My supervisor is Dan Vogel. He is an artist and computer scientist who has many awesome research ideas that can capture one’s imagination. Dan respects the research interests of students and is actively engaged in the research process. 

Why did you choose Waterloo for graduate studies?
The University of Waterloo has the most prestigious computer science program in Canada. It is also located in an area that is home to the most vibrant information technology industry in the country. Waterloo offers more opportunities and greater support for international students than any other Canadian university.

What sort of research/projects are you working on?
I have focused on giving real time feedback of fingers used for touch typing to promote people’s typing efficiency. Leveraging computer vision algorithms to explore novel input methods and human-computer interaction techniques to study human behaviour against computer input design is something that I find very rewarding.

What classes are you taking? What has been your favourite class so far?
I have taken courses in artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and software engineering. I enjoyed all the courses that I have taken.