Advising

I am currently considering graduate students to start in September 2025. In particular, if you are interested in research on human-centered design of privacy-preserving machine learning, consider applying. Projects in this group include human-computer interaction (HCI) studies as well as the design and evaluation of privacy-preserving machine learning protocols.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I do research in your lab as a volunteer? Under no circumstances will I ever support exploiting student labour for research. You are more than welcome to attend my students talks for your own interest. All research assistant positions in my group are paid, and if there is no funding available there are no positions available.
• Can I do research in (insert field here) in this group? While the research in this group is fairly broad, it is in computer science. It can intersect with many fields (math, health, law) and fit well, but it is still computer science. This includes any of empirical software/algorithm evaluation, algorithm design, protocol design, qualitative/quantitative user studies (HCI), etc.
• Is it funded? In general, "most" research based computer science master's and PhD programs in Canada are funded. You can find more information at this link. Postdocs are also funded of course. Undergraduate research may be funded or may be work within a directed study course for university credit.
• Why a master's? Here at UAlberta, and many schools in Canada, a thesis based masters is like a "mini-PhD" (and thus still funded). You will do fewer courses, do research, and produce a thesis, but smaller; because it is within two years.
• How do I apply? University of Alberta admission process can be found at this link That page also has some information related to study permits if you are an international student.
• How do I reach out to you? My email can be found linked on my webpage or in the University of Alberta directory. I, unfortunately, cannot guarantee I will respond to all emails; simply due to the number of them. Note that I cannot and will not guarantee admissions. I also will not review application materials in advance. Read all my webpage? Okay, include in your email subject that --pups are not puppies-- and ask your questions in the email body. I recommend asking specific questions; and not ones that are already answered in this list of FAQs.
• Do my research interests fit within the PUPS group? I have an overview of the research in PUPS. In short, while there is a range of research that falls under this umbrella, it will all include privacy and/or security.