If I would go back in time and tell my 15-year-old self that a decade later, I would be pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, that younger self would probably
laugh at my face and not believe me. Why? Because I didn't have a computer until I was 18!.
I have read a lot of stories where people say how passionate they are about computers and how they made their first game when they were very young.
I don't have such a story because I didn't have a computer until after high school! However, I was always curious and fascinated with that little box that everyone made so much of a fuss about.
Well, my school has a computer lab (a revered place which we had to enter after opening our shoes; made me even more curious about them!) and the first program that I ever wrote was in Logo (yeah, I am ancient apparently!).
I remember looking awestruck at the computer screen as that little “turtle” obeyed me like a dog when I asked it to “right turn 90” and move
“forward 2” and voila! There it was! A beautiful and complicated design on the screen. I think it was then that a passion for coding and an interest
in computers in general was ignited in me. Over the course of the following years, that interest developed from a mere twinkle in the eye to a serious
passion which overcame any lack of resources that I had and today, here I am! As they say, “a river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but its perseverance.”
Hi! I am Shubham, I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Computer Science at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA.
I love to think about and solve problems. My research lies at the intersection of information retrieval and natural language processing where
I use the tools and techniques from both to design efficient search systems for users. My primary passion has always been trying to solve
challenging problems and I use my coding skills more as a means to an end. This was one of the reasons (among others) why I decided to pursue a PhD in CS.
I am associated with the Text Retrieval, Extraction, Machine Learning and Analytics (TREMA) Lab at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA and
working with Dr. Laura Dietz. My current work during PhD is related to search and retrieval where I develop novel algorithms
that can understand the meaning of text better using the concepts mentioned in the text. In this regard, I am working on the role and utilization of entity-centric information to improve web search.
In general, I am passionate about AI and Machine Learning and applying them to solve real-life problems.
I received my Master in Science (MS) degree in Computer Science from the University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA in Fall 2020. Prior to this, I received another Master in Science (MSc) degree in Computer Science from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, India, an autonomous institution under the University of Calcutta. Before, I received my Bachelor in Science (BSc) in Computer Science from the same institution.
When I am not busy writing papers, doing research or thinking about a problem, you would usually find me either playing my piano, or singing or reading a book ( I pride myself in having a mini library at home). I am a voracious reader and my favourite genre is detective and mystery. I think I have read (almost) all the works of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I am very interested in Hindu mythology and philosophy and if you are too, you might want to read books by Devdutt Pattanaik. I also like to read about world history occasionally. I am also a trained Indian Classical vocalist and a self-taught pianist and perform regularly at various events organised by the Indian community in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I am a foodie and love to travel.
If you want to chat about AI, machine learning, text mining, music, books, or dogs, I would love to get in touch!