Episode 12: Rajesh Gupta - The Didactic Data Scientist and Tireless Change Maker

Rajesh is leading thinking about how data science pushes us to think differently in light of a changing and complex world and is pioneering ways to understand and teach it.

Rajesh Gupta is the Founding Director of one of the world’s premier Data Science Institutions - the University of San Diego Halıcıoğlu (hah-li-jyo-loo) Data Science Institute.

Rajesh is not only a visionary, but a tireless practitioner of data science with purpose. He believes in the power of building more efficient systems and to enable others to be more efficient.

Rajesh’s educational background is impressive to say the least - he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology from the renown Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, a Master’s of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California Berkeley, and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford.

However, his trajectory beyond his studies is even more impressive and reflects a passion for creation and discovery that is clear to anyone who spends a few minutes with him.

Upon receiving his PhD, (and with a not-so-brief six year experience as a design engineer at Intel) Rajesh became an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne and later at the University of California Irvine, a position he held until 2002 when he joined the staff at UC San Diego, where he would begin imagining and making a reality the remarkable Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute. He became its founding Director in 2018 and continues to hold the prestigious position.

Rajesh has pioneered research in embedded, cyber-physical systems and the Internet-of-Things across industry and academia, collecting accolades at every step. I could spend the rest of our time listing those accolades, but will just share one of my own favorites - Rajesh was just selected to receive the IEEE Computer Society 2019 W. Wallace McDowell Award, a highly prestigious award in computing.

Rajesh’s tireless curiosity and passion for enabling others is clear from the wake of brilliant and impressive students that he leaves everywhere he goes.

It is my distinct pleasure to share this powerful, magical conversation with you.

Show Notes:

Ryan McGranaghan