Global Ambassador: Alina Nesen

Alina Nesen graduated from Purdue with a PhD in Computer Science (CS) and is from Ukraine. 

Read more about Alina's experience in graduate school below. Please note: Alina provided these answers while she was still a graduate student at Purdue. 

Ambassador Q & A (Questions and Answers)

Why did you choose Purdue?

Purdue is a top 20 U.S. Research University in CS in a nice, quiet and safe location.

Please briefly describe your research. 

I’m working on applied machine learning, recommender systems and security.

How did you decide what to study?

I’ve been in software development and computer science for over a decade prior to joining Purdue and never wanted to change the field I worked in.

What was your process for selecting a graduate school?

I collaborated with EducationUSA in Ukraine and with students at U.S. universities who were from my home country. I followed their recommendations and advice in many ways.

What is your favorite fact about Purdue?

Did you know that Purdue has one of the biggest international student community among the U.S. universities? In such a diverse environment, you can meet people from all around the world without leaving West Lafayette.

Where do you spend most of your time on campus?

I’ll be boring: it’s my lab in the Lawson Computer Science building (LWSN Basement).

How did you decide where to live?

I picked an apartment which was close to campus (20 min walk), school (5 min walk), friends (0.5 min walk).

What does your travel from home to Purdue look like?

It’s a long trip… From West Lafayette to Dnipro: first, you need to get to Purdue Memorial Union, after that take a shuttle to Chicago Airport. After you board your plane, there will definitely be a connection flight somewhere in Europe. Finally, I arrive in Ukraine but still need transfer from the airport to a railroad station in order to take a train to my home town. At last, I’m in Dnipro but still need a taxi to get to my house… It can take well over 24 hrs from the moment I lock the door of my apartment in West Lafayette to the moment I am in my apartment in Ukraine.

How do you de-stress in your free time?

There is a beautiful park which is 5 min walk from my house where I can walk or run; it was a blessing during lockdown times when most of the social activity was limited.

What are you hoping to do after you graduate from Purdue?

I see myself holding a research-oriented position in Artificial Intelligence/Deep Neural Networks at the place where I can make a difference

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