Computer Science
Dr. Paul Y. Cao
Faculty, Department of Computer Science
University of California, San Diego
Paul Cao is currently a continuing lecturer in the CSE department at UC San Diego. His
research area is in CS education and he is particularly interested in the broadening of
CS exposure and education in the K-12 domain. He has extensive teaching experience
in computing in both the college and K-12 levels. He received his PhD from Duke
University.
Education Studies
Professor Leonardo Civinelli Tornel da Silveira
Faculty, Leadership and Education Studies
University of San Diego
Professor Leonardo Civinelli Tornel da Silveira brings over 15 years of international experience in leadership, organizational change, and development, having worked across 12 countries with institutions such as the United Nations and Harvard University. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Leadership Studies at USD’s SOLES and teaches LEAD-150 (Emerging Leaders) and LEAD-350 (Leadership and Group Development) at the Leadership Studies Minor. He holds a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University, a Master in International Affairs and Diplomacy from the Open University of Catalunya, a Master in Leadership from University College London, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF). His passion lies in creating engaging learning environments where we can explore leadership not just as a concept, but as a practice that helps us navigate complexity and drive meaningful change.
Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute
Dr. Benjamin Smarr
Associate Professor, Halicioglu Data Science Institute
University of California, San Diego
Dr. Benjamin Smarr, PhD Neurobiology, is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering and Data Science at UCSD. His work leverages his domain expertise in biological rhythms and neuroendocrinology to develop HealthAI capabilities that improve precision and reduce bias in algorithms for diverse populations. In 2020 he became the technical lead of the global collaborative TemPredict study, which developed algorithms for early detection of COVID-19 infection, and unique cyberinfrastructure to serve rapid, collaborative explorations of population-scale, personal time series data. Leveraging these data and others, the Smarr lab focuses on applications in women’s health and aging, technical development in service of algorithmic equity, increasing participant engagement from historically underserved communities, and accelerating the emergence of precision health care for individuals and populations alike. Prof. Smarr’s views have been features on global outlets, including NPR, BBC, Forbes, and many others. He also provides advising to companies interested in understanding how to improve AI precision and interactions with populations of need.
Neuroscience
Dr. Chengbiao Wu
Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience
University of California, San Diego
Dr. Wu received his undergraduate education from Lanzhou University, Gansu, China. He obtained his MSc and PhD from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He was later trained at NIH, UT South Western Medical Center and Stanford University. He joined the faculty of UCSD Neurosciences in 2009.
Dr. Kijung Sung
Associate Project Scientist, Department of Neuroscience
University of California, San Diego
Dr. Kijung Sung is an Associate Project Scientist in the Department of Neurosciences at UCSD. Dr. Sung’s research is about the mechanism underlying neurodegenerative diseases in central and peripheral nervous system. The diseases include Alzheimer’s diseases, Parkinson’s diseases and chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathies. Dr. Sung earned her doctorate in biophysics from Stanford University, was trained at UCSD for her postdoctoral career.
