Nandini Anantharama
Why did you choose Monash?
I decided on Australia, and Monash in particular, because of the strength of the computer science department in the domains of machine learning and visualisation. Melbourne being a beautiful city and a growing hub for software companies only made the decision much easier. Monash was very well balanced in terms of core conceptual machine learning courses, as well as courses aligned with technologies being used in the industry.
Describe your area of research.
The scale, complexity and availability of data today is unprecedented, and I was motivated by the promise of finding rules and patterns, and being able to do predictive analytics using the data. Machine learning is a very rigorous, mathematical topic, and that was an additional motivation for me.
What is a your favourite memory or highlight about Monash?
My favourite memory has to be graduating from my Master of Information Technology at Monash after 2 years of intense and demanding coursework. It was an opportunity to look back on everything I learned over the two years, and appreciate how fundamental the course was in shaping my understanding of data science. I think the fact that I decided to continue at Monash for my Ph.D. speaks volumes about how impactful the university has been in my academic life.
Apart from study, what other activities are you involved in?
I love swimming and hiking. I regularly swim at the Monash Clayton pool and Saturdays are reserved for open water swimming at the Williamstown beach. I have joined the Melbourne Outdoor club, and I enjoy hiking with the group.