CIRI Summer Research Team Member Spotlight: Fariba Fard

This summer, the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute (CIRI) is hosting research teams as part of the DHS Summer Research Teams (SRT) Program for Minority Serving Institutions. This ten-week program is a collaboration between three different universities and UIUC. Three groups of faculty and students will conduct research projects throughout the summer and host a virtual research workshop on August 3. Meet this week's team member spotlight, Fariba Fard!

Where are you from?

I am from Frisco of Texas. I am a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Texas (UNT).

What is your major and why are you interested studying/working in your field of study?

My major is information science with a concentration of data science. I am proficient in the areas of math that are essential for being a data scientist and I am highly skilled in programming. Considering my abilities and interests, data science seems like the perfect fit.

What are you wanting to gain from your experience?

I would like to become an independent researcher in the field of data science to discover how information derived from different types of data helps us to solve real-world problems in our daily lives.

What kind of work would you like to do in the future?

I would like to become a good data science researcher in the field of engineering.

What other plans do you have for the future?

In the future, I want to serve as a good mentor for prospective students and guide them to become successful data scientists.

Do you have any hobbies? Does this activity relate to your studies or influence what you want to do with your future?

I listen to podcasts in my spare time. Podcasts tell stories about famous people, human evolution, advances in technology, sports, food, and more. Among them, podcasts that highlight what society needs and how technology can meet their needs affect the topics I choose to research.