Jonathan Liu joins CS teaching faculty
Jonathan Liu joins CS teaching faculty
Jonathan Liu joined the Department of Computer Science this fall as a clinical assistant professor. His research focuses on problem-solving skill development in computer science.
Liu earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, where he spent much of his time learning and researching computer science theory, expecting to ultimately become a theory professor. When it came time to apply for PhD programs, his time teaching both at UC Berkeley and for Art of Problem Solving, an online math school, made him realize that he wanted to focus more on teaching. He received his PhD in computer science from the University of Chicago in July, where he studied computer science education.
“I was conducting research, but all my brainpower was spent thinking about how to teach the next thing better, how to be a better TA,” Liu said. “So, this pivot into education research made a lot of sense for me.”
Liu met some UIC computer science teaching faculty at a computer science education conference this winter and knew immediately that he wanted to join UIC.
“The people I met, across the board, were so dedicated and passionate about UIC’s mission and what we do here,” Liu said.
Liu was particularly impressed by a pair of undergraduate students, Levell Kensey and Han Dang, who presented a poster at the conference. Liu was surprised by the quality and quantity of the research they conducted.
This semester, Liu is teaching CS 401, Computer Algorithms, and a new course, CS 194, AI and Computing Literacy for All Disciplines, with Professor and Department Head Baoxin Li. The course introduces the fundamentals of computing, data, and artificial intelligence for students from any major.
“For better or for worse, AI is everywhere, and nearly everyone will be interacting with it in their jobs, so it’s important that we try to allow everyone to have some sense of literacy with it,” Liu said.
Liu looks forward to meeting more CS students and helping them in any way possible.
“I love education: I love thinking about it, talking about it, and seeing it change student lives in real time,” Liu said. “I want people to know that I am and will always be very happy to talk about their education with them and support them in whatever sense works for them.”