A day in the life
Srini Sampalli, professor
Every field has been impacted by Computer Science...
The cyber security guru
A passion for teaching and a joy of sharing knowledge are what first attracted Srini Sampalli to teach at Dalhousie. Now in his 19th year of teaching at the university, these two things still drive him.
“It is my students who make my day,” says Dr. Sampalli, who’s better known to his students by his first name, Srini.
Known for his ability to explain intricate concepts in an easily understandable way, Dr. Sampalli’s students honoured him a few years ago by creating an in-faculty teaching award and naming it after him. He’s also been the recipient of a 3M National Teaching Fellowship, an award which is considered to be one of the highest teaching honours in the country.
Dr. Sampalli is a cyber security expert and is currently looking at smartphone security and the ways hackers can attack networks and smartphones.
“I am looking at developing intrusion detection and hacking prevention mechanisms,” he says.
A world of options
For students wondering about career options after school, Dr. Sampalli says it’s not a question of what they can use the degree for, but rather, what can’t they use it for.
“Every field has been impacted by computer science,” he says. “You don’t have to sit in a cubicle doing programming all day. It is an exciting field, and it's shaped by whatever a person’s passion is—they can take it to any field they wish to go to.”
