Practitioner, Researcher, and Computer Science Educator
I am an assistant professor in the Computer Science and Software Engineering department at California Polytechnic State University. I earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Arizona State University, an M.S. in Electrical Engineering with a Computer Science major from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies (CINVESTAV) of the Mexican National Polytechnic Institute, and a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the Universidad de Guadalajara.
My research takes place at the intersection of software engineering and human-computer interaction. It is focused on self-adaptation, artificial emotional intelligence, and advancing development approaches for intelligent systems. It is a transdisciplinary research that applies innovative technologies, including brain-computer interfaces, eye-tracking, physiological sensors, gesture and posture recognition, and augmented and virtual reality devices while taking advantage of the cloud, parallel, and pervasive computing. I have the pleasure of collaborating with cross-departmental and multidisciplinary teams embracing computer science, psychology, industrial engineering, and education technology.
My work includes manufacturing personalized and adaptive intelligent tutors, developing affect-aware video games, and using affect-driven approaches to improve rehabilitation outcomes for children with disabilities. I have designed and managed the development of software frameworks and scalable web applications; improved avatars for interpersonal communication; prototyped augmented reality environments; and created visual programming languages for parallel computing.
Prior to joining the California State University system, I was a faculty member at Arizona State University and, before that, at Tecnologico de Monterrey. I taught courses in the areas of software architecture, software engineering, web development, compilers design, and programming. I was also an adjunct faculty at Universidad de Guadalajara, where I taught programming languages and database design. Recently, I was invited as a visiting professor at Universidad Panamericana to teach parallel programming and topics in artificial emotional intelligence. As a practitioner, I have worked as a software engineer and consultant and participated as CTO in two startup companies.
I am a Senior Member of the ACM and a Senior Member of the IEEE. Throughout my professional and academic career, I have been honored with several awards, among others: the Centennial Professorship Award for outstanding leadership and instruction by the Associated Students of Arizona State University (2019); Faculty Fellowship by the Jewish National Fund (2018); Distinguished Teacher Award by the Associated Alumni of Tecnologico de Monterrey, awarded to professors who left their mark through 70 years of institution history (2013); elected as a member of the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi (2011); and the Creativity and Technological Innovation Award by AIESEC International (1999). I have published dozens of technical articles and have been a speaker at various conferences. I have mentored and advised thesis research, undergraduate capstone projects, and students participating in international programming contests.