School of Technology and Computing
Invited talks are recurring educational forums where industry pioneers, seasoned engineers, and specialized researchers are brought into the academic environment to share their frontline expertise. These sessions serve as a vital link between classroom theory and professional practice, offering students a window into the current state of the global technology landscape. By rotating speakers from diverse niches ranging from Artificial Intelligence to Cybersecurity the program ensures that students are exposed to the newest tools, methodologies, and ethical challenges that are currently shaping the industry.
Speaker: Manjot Singh, Software Engineer @ Meta
Manjot Singh currently serves as a Software Engineer at Meta, where he applies his passion for coding and building innovative solutions to advance the social media platform. Over his 7½-year career, he has held engineering roles at Apple and Walmart, mastering big data technologies such as Spark, Hive, HBase, SQL, Hadoop (HDFS), Sqoop, and Kafka, as well as full-stack development with the MEAN/MERN stack.
In this talk, Manjot will walk through proven strategies for efficiently preparing for technology roles – covering effective study methods, leveraging the CityU Tech Club, and tapping into other key resources. His presentation draws on his hands-on experience transitioning from CityU into leading engineering teams at top tech firms. Manjot’s multifaceted background in big data analytics, full-stack web development, and startup innovation gives him unique insights into how aspiring engineers can focus their efforts, build relevant portfolios, and navigate today’s competitive hiring landscape.
Click here to watch Manjot’s recorded talk
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Tuesday, May 20th, 2025
Speaker: Andrew Homin Park, Lecturer @ SUSS
Homin Park is a Lecturer (Equiv. Assistant Professor) in the Information and Communication Technology program at SUSS, Singapore. He earned his Ph.D. in Information and Communication Engineering from DGIST, Korea (2016), and a B.S. in Computing and Software Systems from the University of Washington, USA (2010). His research focuses on human activity recognition, spatiotemporal data analysis for smart cities, and cyber-physical systems using AI and data analytics.
In this talk, Andrew will share his insights on succeeding in interdisciplinary work, drawing from his own career experiences. He will discuss key challenges in collaborating with experts from diverse backgrounds and offer practical strategies to overcome them. Through real-life examples, he will highlight both successful projects and common pitfalls in interdisciplinary collaboration. Attendees will gain valuable lessons on communication, problem-solving, and team dynamics to drive meaningful innovation.
Click here to watch Andrew’s recorded talk
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, Feb 27th, 2025
Speaker: Brian Shea Business Information Security Officer @ Salesforce
Brian is an IT Executive with 29 years of experience from Security Operations and Support, Compliance, Risk Management, Technology Innovation, IT Operations and Supportand. Currently Brian is a Business Information Security Officer (BISO) supporting multiple business units at Salesforce, delivering security and compliance across our people, process, technology, and data. In addition to this he has worked in
Security and GRC at Starbucks, Microsoft, and Bank of America as well as served as a Cybersecurity Advisor for CREATE.ORG, sat on the Board of Technical Advisors for NODUS technologies, served as an alternate to the PCI-DSS Customer Advisory Council, held CISSP and CISM certifications, and has published 2 books and 3 industry papers on security.
Click here to watch Brian’s recorded talk
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, Jan 16th, 2025
Speaker: William Kim,
Software Engineer @ Athenahealth
William Kim is a principal Software Engineer at athenahealth 11+ years total of Software Engineering experience, with 7 years specifically dedicated to the Internet Identity & Access Management domain. He helped develop athenhealth’s Identity Services platform, including the “Login with athena” functionality, and also internal authorization systems based around OAuth 2.0. Currently, He is working on improving clinician workflows, helping doctors document care for their patients in athenahealth’s EHR system in more efficient and secure ways.
In this talk, William will use his own personal career path to illustrate the “taproot expertise” model of professional development. In summary, “taproot expertise” is having one central strong root of expertise that you cultivate, while also having a broad coverage of other skills and domains. This model has served his career development extremely well over time and is probably the single most valuable piece of advice he can give anyone at the beginning of their career.
Click here to watch William’s recorded meeting.
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, Oct 17th, 2024
Speaker: Kevin Wang,
Software Engineer @ Pinterest
Kevin Wang is a software engineer at Pinterest who works for the monetization (Ads) organization and has interest in all kinds of technologies.
In this talk, he will talk about some learnings he got from a recent GenAI-related project to help others avoid pitfalls.
For discussion, all kinds of questions are welcomed and they do not have to be related to this presentation. He remembers when he was a student, he would like to ask for more career advice, interview preparation suggestions, real industry insights, etc.
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, Aug 1st, 2024
Speaker: Tony North, Senior Manager of IT @ King County Government Administration
Tony is an accomplished professional in management, IT, cybersecurity, and HR with a U.S. Marine Corps background. He has worked across 27 countries and 43 states, leading over 200 software implementations. Beyond his career, Tony mentors, volunteers, coaches youth sports, supports nonprofits, and competes in world chess tournaments with his father.
In today’s rapidly evolving job market, disruption has become the norm. AI-driven hiring processes, shifting industry demands, and economic uncertainty have changed the way companies recruit and how job seekers must position themselves. This discussion will explore strategies for both hiring managers and candidates to succeed in this unpredictable landscape.
Click here to watch Tony’s recorded talk
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, Apr 17th, 2025
Speaker: Zabrina McIntyre, Director, Advisory @ KPMG
Zabrina McIntyre, Director of Advisory at KPMG, is a seasoned professional who has successfully navigated multiple career transitions in the cybersecurity and technology fields. Drawing from her own experiences, she emphasizes the importance of balancing ambition, hard work, and realistic expectations to achieve both personal and professional success. In her talk, “The Art of the Pivot” Zabrina will share key strategies for building a fulfilling career in cybersecurity and technology. She will discuss how professionals can transition into technical roles, develop the necessary skills to stay competitive, and position themselves for leadership opportunities. The insights she provides on career pivots in cybersecurity are equally applicable to broader technology careers, offering practical guidance for those looking to break into or advance within the field.
Click here to watch Zabrina’s recorded talk
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, Feb 6th, 2025
Speaker: Ron Jimerson,
Chief Information Security Officer @ Port of Seattle, WA
Ron Jimerson is the Chief Information Security Officer for the Port of Seattle, overseeing cybersecurity across Aviation, Maritime, and corporate sectors. With over 24 years in IT and cybersecurity, Ron has honed his expertise in risk management, security architectures, and layered defense systems. He spearheads operations behind incident response, virtual services, governance, business resiliency, and building a culture with emphasis around equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Prior to his role at the Port of Seattle, Ron served as the CISO for the City of Tacoma where he provided cyber defenses for municipal services. While serving as an Air Force cyber space operations officer, he integrated cyber domains in alignment with international allies and deterred hostile cyber activities throughout multiple theaters of operation.
He holds a master’s in leadership and cybersecurity from the University of Washington and a CIO certification from National Defense University. Ron is also CISSP and CISM certified.
Click here to watch Ron’s recorded talk
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, Nov 14th, 2024
Speaker: Depei Song,
Network/Security Administrator @ ACRS
Depei Song is a Network/Security Administrator at Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS). Everybody makes mistakes, and that’s what makes us human. However, we learn and improve ourselves from those mistakes. In the IT career, even a single bit of difference can cause catastrophic consequences. Many known mistakes can be avoided by listening to your manager, mentor, and colleagues’ experiences. He would like to share with you two mistakes that almost cost him his job, so you won’t repeat them in yours.
“What’s the biggest mistake that you have made in your career?” It is also one of the common interview questions. Start thinking about that and join us on August 22nd. Let’s share those mistakes we have made in the past and learn from each other’s experiences to become better professionals.
Click here to watch Depei’s recorded meeting.
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, Aug 22nd, 2024
Speaker: Kim Nguyen,
Software Engineer @ Adobe, Founder @ FutureLeadr
Kim Nguyen is a Software Engineer at Adobe and founder of FutureLeadr. Her work at Adobe focuses on developing and modernizing infrastructure and software that servers millions of large scale internal and external customers of Adobe Analytics.
In this talk, Kim will discuss the career opportunities of MSCS students, current GenAI trends of Adobe and her tips and tricks in landing a job in CS field. Kim will also share about her non-profit called FutureLeadr, where she’s helping new grads and young entrepreneurs to break into the market.
If you are interested in an internship, don’t miss this talk!
Time: 4:30 – 5:30 PM PT – Thursday, July 11th, 2024