Meet 2025 BigDATAwire Person to Watch Rajesh Gupta

BigDATAwire: First, congratulations on your selection as a 2025 BigDATAwire Person to Watch! You’re the interim dean of the new SCIDS school that was created last year by the union of the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) and the Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI). How has the transition going so far?

Rajesh Gupta: The transition has been smooth so far as my attention has shifted from the day-to-day operation of HDSI to strategic planning for the new School. Both units of the new School are well-functioning organizations with ambitious growth plans that give us new opportunities to leverage mutual strengths.

SDSC is a world-class supercomputing site.

BDW: Today’s GenAI technology is moving so fast that you can’t turn to college textbooks to learn about it, which you have pointed out. What is SCIDS’ secret for staying on top of this fast-moving area?

RG: It is the “people”. SDSC has an extraordinary collection of experienced researchers and engineering professionals. When you compliment them with 42 new researchers, out of which 37 are assistant professors, you have likely the largest collection of active young talent in Artificial Intelligence areas working together anywhere in the country.

BDW: Where are the greatest needs for data science curriculum at the moment? Where are the gaps in student education?

RG: Data Science curriculum often finds itself at an intersection of areas – from computing, cognition to mathematics and domain sciences – where tough choices have to be made for a program that would stand the test of time. We have opted to ensure strong fundamentals interspersed with practical applications right from the lower division of our program (https://datascience.ucsd.edu/current-students/course-descriptions-and-prerequisites/).

The most significant gaps are seen in our entering students: they are drawn from different backgrounds and varying levels of basic math or computing preparations. A significant part of student advising and preparation is to navigate through the courses that suit their backgrounds. We are in the sixth year of our undergraduate and the third year of our graduate programs. Despite this experience, the right-sized curriculum with the right amount of mathematical and computer science preparation background is still a work in progress. In the coming years, we should see many teaching materials and textbooks that formalize this training.

Rajesh Gupta, distinguished professor of computer science and engineering, during a June 2024 ceremony celebrating the opening of a new building for the UC San Diego’s Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (Image courtesy UCSD)

At the undergraduate level, we ensure that our students are encouraged to pursue their domain interests right from the beginning of the program by giving early practical skills and ensuring that all required courses are completed by the end of the junior year. That way, seniors pursue electives of interest and their capstone projects. At the graduate level, especially for doctoral students, we ensure that the students understand and complete GRR (generalizability, responsibility, and reproducibility) requirements.

BDW: UCSD has become one of the top data science schools in the country over the past decade. How will the college continue to stay in that upper echelon?

RG: There are two key elements of our strategy to ensure the quality of our programs: (a) our classes are designed and taught by leading experts and active researchers in the specific technical areas; and (b) closer collaboration and engagement with our industry partners, specifically active practitioners of Data Science who have direct practical experience. For (a), we have to ensure that we have the full breadth of topical areas of data science subjects covered by our faculty, a feat that we have already accomplished by creating one of the largest concentrations of talent in Data Science in the country. For (b), our industry partners serve as mentors and teachers to our students, holding office hours and supervising project groups for our seniors.

BDW: What can you tell us about yourself outside of the professional sphere – unique hobbies, favorite places, etc.? Is there anything about you that your colleagues might be surprised to learn?

RG: Outside of running, I love photography. As technology evolves, photography moves towards more creative elements that seek emotive responses in ways light interacts with the expressions. I love to play around with the camera and subjects. My favorite places vary: for fond memories, nothing beats the Bay Area, where I first arrived as a graduate student forty years ago. I spent some time in INRIA Rennes in Brittany, France, and EPFL in Switzerland. Both are my favorites for a trip anytime. I write short stories that do what I tried with pictures, capture moments, and generate emotive responses. Maybe someday, I will find time to pursue these interests full-time.

To read the rest of the interviews with the 2025 BigDATAwire People to Watch, click here.