- Affective Computing
PhD 2013
Professor, University of Rochester
Ehsan took on a faculty job immediately after completing his MAS PhD. His research explores the use of technology that helps people to improve their soft skills.
How did your experience at the Lab influence your next step?
Being able to demo almost every other day to various individuals from the industry was a valuable experience. The ability to articulate big ideas and ground them with technical artifacts made fundraising fun in my independent research career. I still remember Nicholas Negroponte insisting on us during 'prosem' not to get into competition in research. If someone else is doing work very similar to yours, let them have it and move on to something else, preferably, in an uncharted territory.
Invest your energy in building rapport and collaborations with peers and faculty members at MIT. As you mature in your career, those relationships will become your most important assets.