Photo by Katie Lyman
A great interview with Dr. Jennifer Rexford of Princeton University. Dr. Rexford is the Provost, Gordon Y. S. Wu Professor in Engineering, Professor of Computer Science, and formerly the Chair of the Department of Computer Science at Princeton University. She is an accomplished computer scientist whose research has focused on the analysis of computer networks, in particular network routing, performance measurement, and network management. She is an affiliated faculty member in electrical and computer engineering, operations research and financial engineering, applied and computational mathematics, gender and sexuality studies, Center for Information Technology Policy, High Meadows Environmental Institute, and Princeton Institute for Computational Science and Engineering.
Sofia and Annika led this interview and were amazed at Dr. Rexford’s accomplishments and her ongoing ability to perform at such a high level on multiple endeavors. It was a great interview with lots of useful insights and inspiring stories. We are sure you will enjoy it as much as we did!
Show Notes & Links Of Interest
Introduction [00:10]
Dr. Jennifer Rexford
Interview Begins [02:02]
Question: Could she introduce herself? [02:26]
Question: What was your childhood like and where did you grow up? [03:26]
Question: What about your childhood might have set you on your career path? [04:03]
Question: How important do you feel it is for young people to know what they want to do in life when entering college versus figuring it out once they are there? [05:32]
Question: Did you foresee yourself pursuing a career in academia? [06:38]
Question: What was the subject of your undergrad thesis? [08:05]
Question: What was it like going from the public sector to academia? [08:54]
How do you manage all of the different work items you are involved with? [13:14]
Do you think that in your various roles, there is an intersectionality that allows one role to help another? [14:47]
What is the hardest thing you have had to overcome and what are some ways you did that? [15:57]
Have you experienced Imposters Syndrome and if so, how have you dealt with it? [19:45]
What are some of the best methods that you have found for fighting self-doubt and dealing with failure? [23:49]
Can she talk about sex disparity in the computer science field and what is needed to get more women into computer science? [27:03]
Can she share what it has taken to be involved in so many research papers? [29:51]
Of all her accomplishments, is there one that she is most proud of? [32:33]
Gracy Murray Hopper Award [32:36]
Athena Lecturer Award [32:38]
Who were her mentors over the course of her career? [35:05]
Albert Greenberg [36:09]
What advice would she give to a young woman starting her career? [36:39]
What are her thoughts about improving the trustworthiness of the internet? [39:21]
What are her thoughts about AI in an academic environment? [41:39]
What one quality or trait does she feel that young women should embrace in pursuit of their dreams? [46:24]
Interview ends [49:02]
Wrap-up [49:05]
Hosts
