Sebastian Miranda Rodriguez Discusses Their Thesis Research

The Faculty of Graduate Studies would like to congratulate Applied Computer Science and Society graduate student Sebastian Miranda Rodriguez who successfully defended his thesis titled "Experimental Approach for Re-Routing in Computer Networks with Software-Defined Networks and Contraction Hierarchies". Recently, we caught up with Sebastian to discuss their thesis and experience in the graduate program.

Can you tell us about yourself, your educational background, and why you enrolled in the Master of Science in Applied Computer Science and Society program at the University of Winnipeg?

My name is Sebastian Miranda Rodriguez, I am 31 years old originally from Mexico. Back there I studied the Computer Engineering Major in the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM in Spanish).

After working for a few years in the Engineering faculty of the same university, I decided to take a small break. Then, a family member suggested that I enroll in the English Language Program (ELP) at the University of Winnipeg, which made me fall in love with the life in Canada and I decided to extend my stay while extending my studies. After considering multiple options I decided to enroll in the Master of Science in Applied Computer Science and Society program as it included multiple classes that were interesting for me and allowed me to work on my own research topic.

Can you tell us about the program and your research focus?

The program includes multiple classes that cover a wide range of topics in computer science and in the case of the thesis-based program allows you take a suggested research topic or define your own. In my opinion, the best way to take advantage of this format is to take the classes that fit your specialty, complement the knowledge with some self-study, and define your research topic based accordingly.
In my case, because of my preference for Computer Networks and Software programming, I decided to continue with my line of interest and decided to combine both into a research topic that uses programming to manage network packages.

Recently, you defended your thesis titled “Experimental Approach for Re-Routing in Computer Networks with Software-Defined Networks and Contraction Hierarchies”. What was the highlight of your thesis research for you?

My research contains a series of programs and algorithms that usually are implemented separately, or due to their characteristics, are used in different areas other than computer science. The importance of my research is the implementation and inclusion of all these technologies, resulting in a simple but effective programmable way to optimize network package distribution.

What are you going to take away from your experience at University of Winnipeg?

The main experiences I received from the University include all the knowledge I acquired during my classes and research, a multicultural environment in which students and professors from different backgrounds support each other to transmit their knowledge and experiences to new students, and finally, the experience of doing classes and research in a different language and with higher level of difficulty. These tested my determination, but at the same time were very gratifying.

Thank you and good luck on your next project!

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