Professor Carlos Rojas

I am Professor Carlos Rojas and I grew up in Southern California in the Los Angeles suburbs. I am Mexican-American and I am fluent in Spanish and English. I grew up in a city where almost everyone around me spoke Spanish. It was uncommon to see people pursue a degree after high school.

I knew I wanted to pursue a college degree, and I think it stems from seeing an older sibling do it. In high school, I became curious about computers, but I didn’t formally study them until I got to college at the University of California, Davis. I always enjoyed the challenge of school, but I didn’t always excel in my grades. Especially in mathematics, which has always been a struggle for me. At Davis, I studied computer science. 

While at Davis I learned about research and that the professors at my university were also scientists. I took a class on data visualization where we used data to help us understand things around us. For example, in one assignment we had to take data from an MRI scan of a person to show it graphically on the computer. All of this is what led me to apply to graduate school to learn how to push the envelope of what humans know. In my case, I studied how to compare three-dimensional shapes using computers and a bit of math. After many years and lots of hard work I earned my Ph.D. in computer science.

I am now a professor at San José State University. I teach software engineering and artificial intelligence courses. I also work on research projects to try to better understand how DNA works by using computers and artificial intelligence methods.