New Faculty: Dr. Yeganeh Bahoo

Yeganeh Bahoo joins the faculty this fall, bringing expertise that’s an explicit blend of computer science and geometry.

You research in Computational Geometry. What exactly is that?
It’s a field in computer science focused on developing algorithms that can be explained in the language of geometry. The applications are immensely diverse! For instance in robotics, consider a robot vacuum cleaner that has sensors to map the environment and calculate the optimal path. How do you create this map? Computational geometry will help you to answer that. Or how do you tell a 3D printer to print a given 3D model? Computational geometry plays an important role in that.

Is your work primarily on the fundamental or applied side?
While my research mostly involves mathematics and proofs, we’re always surrounded by geometry and there’s a diverse range of applications that benefit from it. Almost all problems can be expressed as a geometric problem, so having a deep understanding of geometry and computer science can shine new light on these problems, and give fresh insights and solutions. A big part of my work is solving visibility problems, from search and rescue scenarios to endless topics in wireless networking.

You have some experience with industry partnerships. Do you foresee more of that happening?
Definitely! There are so many companies with problems that can benefit from computational geometry, including wireless communication and manufacturing. My postdoctoral work was industry oriented and focused on optimizing tool-paths of industrial additive manufacturing machines (i.e. 3D printers) for CAMufacturing Solutions. That gave me a lot of inspiration for where and how to best integrate my knowledge with industry.

Do you have a particular philosophy in teaching?
Deep understanding and teamwork are the two main takeaways I want for my students. I feel these are key characteristics in successfully bringing knowledge to the real world.

What do you enjoy doing on your off hours?
I love to travel, read books, dance, cook – and watch Star Trek!

If you had one piece of advice, what would that be?
At the start, I felt my path was unclear - I wasn't sure where I'd end up. It's important to hold onto your big dreams, since it's with them that you can choose which opportunities to pursue. Don't get stressed out, just stay focused and motivated. Everything will be fine.