Mansi Sood (she/her)

School of Engineering

Final Year / PhD Candidate, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Hometown: New Delhi, India

What are your academic and/or professional goals? In the future, I wish to pursue an academic career leading research teams and mentoring and teaching students. My research interests span the mathematical and algorithmic foundations of networked systems to make them more trustworthy and reliable. I am passionate about improving representation in computing by providing timely access to support structures, information, and resources.
Tell us about a significant moment in your academic journey at CMU so far. It was an honor to be selected to visit the Institute for Advanced Study Princeton in Summer 2022. In addition to opportunities for mentorship, I met with several people passionate about improving support structures in math and computing. This event played an instrumental role in inspiring me to organize the inaugural Pittsburgh Women in Mathematics and Computing Symposium together with Isabel Murdock.
What do you like to do in your time away from academic work? I am passionate about making science and art more accessible to diverse audiences. I moonlight as a watercolor artist and teach in community art programs. Through my art, I enjoy fundraising for local food banks, nonprofits, and community organizations.
Tell us about your last memorable meal. What was it, where did you have it, and who were you with? To me, the most memorable meals are homecooked meals that are recreations of the food I grew up with. Being an international student, cooking the meals I had as a kid is a very tangible way to stay connected with my culture and roots. When I was moving to Pittsburgh, my mother wrote a series of letters to me explaining the essential culinary concepts of our traditional cuisine, and that makes every homecooked meal memorable for me.
What's your favorite thing about Pittsburgh? I enjoy the full seasons and the changing color palettes in the city throughout the year. The many moods of the skies, the bridges, tiny specks of lights on distant hills, the calm rivers, the city parks, and the thriving art community.