{"id":2778,"date":"2019-10-01T17:34:39","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T17:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.doc.gold.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=2778"},"modified":"2019-10-01T17:34:39","modified_gmt":"2019-10-01T17:34:39","slug":"staff-profile-dr-elaheh-homayounvala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.doc.gold.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=2778","title":{"rendered":"Staff profile: Dr Elaheh HomayounVala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this post, we meet Dr Elaheh HomayounVala, a lecturer in Computer Science at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her research looks at how people interact with technology and how to adapt technology to needs and preferences of people.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up in Iran, Elaheh’s passion for tech began in high school, when she would travel by bus to one of the first computing companies in the city to study IT. She later became one of the first women in the country to graduate with a master\u2019s in Philosophy of Science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe biggest challenge I\u2019ve faced has been finding the right career path for me. When I was at school most of our teachers advised us to study medicine or electrical engineering, but I knew that I wanted a career that would allow me the flexibility to be a wife and a mother as well, and computing offered that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhile I enjoyed my undergraduate degree in Computer Science, I had other interests I wanted to explore \u2013 like psychology and the humanities \u2013 which was why I chose Philosophy of Science as my master\u2019s subject. It was a really new programme and I was one of only two women in a class of 10 students\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When she moved to London, she undertook her PhD at King\u2019s College. Elaheh combined her tech skills with her interests in people and psychology to begin researching user modelling and personalisation \u2013 looking at how people interact with computers and how technology can be adapted to suit both individuals and groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like the unpredictability of humans as users of computers, and I\u2019m very interested in how we can personalise technology to suit such diverse users. It was a relatively new field when I began, so I\u2019m proud that I recognised early on that this was going to be an increasingly popular area \u2013 15 years on many big companies are really investing in personalisation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of the Goldsmiths Computing team, Elaheh firmly believes that students should have the opportunity to use their computing skills in the areas that interests them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the biggest misconceptions about Computer Science is that it\u2019s only suitable for people who love maths and are very techy and therefore that it can\u2019t have anything to do with fields like art or psychology. That is completely untrue. Areas like Human Computer Interaction rely on a multidisciplinary team, with computer scientists working alongside graphic designers and psychologists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the best things about the Computing department at Goldsmiths is that people working here come from all kinds of different backgrounds. We have students who are interested in management and entrepreneurship or artificial intelligence and medicine and they combine those passions with technical skills. What we\u2019re showing our students is that just because you\u2019re interested in more than one field of study, you don\u2019t need to choose between them. You can use computing skills to support you in any area you care about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As technology increasingly intersects with every element of our lives, Elaheh believes it is becoming even more important to redress the balance between men and women in the tech sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTechnology is changing the world we live in and more than that, it is changing the world our children will live in. We need both men and women to help shape that world. We add our own perspectives \u2013 as sisters, mothers, wives. That\u2019s not to say we have a better perspective, but we all benefit from considering lots of different views, particularly regarding ethical issues surrounding areas of computing like artificial intelligence, which will have such a big impact on future generations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As her own daughter prepares to start her undergraduate degree in Computer Science at King\u2019s College London (where she herself began her PhD 18 years ago), Elaheh has some pertinent advice for young women everywhere who are wondering if tech is for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStart by thinking about yourself. Know what your interests are and what you enjoy doing. Have a look at the range of jobs available now but also at where future trends are likely to go \u2013 you will enter the job market in a few years\u2019 time and computing is always changing so can you imagine yourself working in any of these future trends? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut most importantly, remember it\u2019s okay not to be sure. You can start your journey and adapt it along the way. The flexibility offered in Computer Science will allow you to make your own unique career path.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was adapted from <\/em>an interview<\/em><\/a> published in the University of London’s online magazine, London Connection.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n