Her Story
About Aria
I'm currently pursuing my PhD in Computer Science at Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley, where my research focuses on Trustworthy and Responsible AI. Since large language models have become so powerful, I'm working on creating guidance and rules to protect users' privacy and ensure that AI outputs are not harmful. After completing my master's degree at George Washington University, I worked at Meta for about 3 years before returning to academia for my doctoral studies. During my PhD, I've had the opportunity to intern at eBay, where my work resulted in approximately $4 million in cost savings for the company. I believe strongly that research shouldn't be done in isolation, so I maintain close connections with industry throughout my work. I also serve as a student lead at Santa Clara University, where I've hosted three major events including workshops on AI to help other students learn about what I'm doing. Additionally, I'm involved with Sylph AI, a pre-seed stage company focused on self-involved coding, where I contribute to both research and go-to-market strategy. I've published several papers on privacy and security, and I'm passionate about bridging the gap between academic research and real-world industry requirements.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Aria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think I'm very lucky that I know lots of excellent people, and the environment motivates me to keep learning. I believe I can do something that is very important - I have the power and the ambitions to do that. Meeting excellent people along the way who encourage me has been crucial. I have a North Star, a goal to do something ambitious that comes from being in this environment. It's the combination of believing in myself and being surrounded by people who push me forward that has driven my success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is about how to balance being an expert versus being a generalist. I've talked to lots of experts about this, and I think right now is a good time to be an expert. The past experiences and skills you develop may connect somewhere in the future, but large language models make me more powerful to do everything I want to do. So my advice to others would be to leverage your technical skills and never be afraid to learn new things.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think it's important to always be a player. There's a book called Lean In that speaks to this. From the tech side, young women are not the majority of the group - we all know that men are always more than women in this field. So I think you should always be a player and remember that you can do anything. Believe in your power - you can do anything and be a player. Don't let being in the minority hold you back.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think one of the biggest challenges is that large language models are moving very fast, and we need to move faster to chase all the advanced, state-of-the-art technologies. Because of that pace, I sometimes have anxiety and I'm afraid that I won't be able to catch up - that's challenge number one. Another challenge is that we don't know where AI will go in the future. We can't see the future very clearly because everything is moving too fast. It's both exciting and daunting to be in a field that's evolving so rapidly.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think trust is the most important value. Once you gain someone's trust, you want to build your reputation along your work and your life. You shouldn't do anything to ruin it, even when no one is looking at you - trustworthiness is very important. Another value that matters to me is being supportive to others. I love getting feedback from others and being supportive of what I want to do. So I think trust and being supportive are the most important values to me.
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