Meet the Team | INSPIRE Program

Meet The INSPIRE Team

Meet Our Staff

Elizabeth Belding

Elizabeth Belding is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science, where she has worked since 2001! Her research focuses on measuring and expanding fixed and mobile Internet access around the country, analyzing who has access, and the quality and affordability of that access. She believes everyone needs high quality, reliable Internet access so that they can fully reap the benefits of online world. She is excited to share all the ways that a degree in computer science and engineering can have positive social impact on people and communities. When she is not at work, she can be found having fun with her family and with her four year old chihuahua-poodle-pomerian-australian cattle dog-boston terrier supermutt named Maia!

Joseph Chada

Joe Chada is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Chemical Engineering Department. Prof. Chada teaches courses across the curriculum ranging from the first-year Introduction to Chemical Engineering to the Senior Design course. When he started his undergraduate degree, he was certain that he wanted to be an engineer someday although he couldn’t decide on which type—as long as it wasn't chemical engineering since he didn’t enjoy his first chemistry course. After (begrudgingly) taking another required chemistry course and loving it, he switched majors. Ever since, it’s been his mission to show prospective engineers how important chemical engineers are when working on global problems like sustainability and climate change. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys cycling, the occasional triathlon, and walking with his dog, Neville.

Diba Mirza

Diba Mirza is a faculty member in computer science with an emphasis on undergraduate education and teaching. Visit her on the first floor of Harold Frank Hall (HFH 1155), and you will be welcomed by a colorful office and comfy seating to match the cool vibes of the ocean right across the building. She loves breaking down things that seem tough and complex and using that understanding to create something new. Teaching and learning computer science and engineering is a fun playground to do just that. She believes people connect most deeply when they can share a good laugh. That's why she loves comedy (fun fact 1: the programming language Python was named after the comedy troupe Monty Python) and humor (fun fact 2: a high point of her undergrad career was when she got a theater full of professors and students in splits as Aunt Abby in the play "Arsenic and Old Lace"). She tries to combine these passions into her job as an associate teaching professor and CS undergrad program vice chair.

Jessica Santana

Jessica Santana is an Assistant Professor in the Technology Management Department, where she teaches entrepreneurship and decision analytics. She uses computational social science methods - including text and network analysis - and is a sociologist by training, which means she finds social interactions especially interesting. When she isn't working or with family, Dr. Santana is training for local triathlons to enjoy Santa Barbara's breathtaking nature. Fun fact: Dr. Santana built a mobile augmented reality startup in 2010, which helped her get a job at video game publisher EA before she went back to school for her PhD. She is excited to meet the new cohort of first-year engineering students!

Meet The Peer Mentors

Meet Our Staff

Jacey Buchner

Jacey Buchner is a fourth-year Computer Science student at UC Santa Barbara. His interests within CS include security, distributed systems, and blockchain technology. He pursued these areas through an internship at Google on the Infrastructure team for Google Display Ads, and as an undergraduate researcher in the UCSB SecLab. Outside of school, Jacey enjoys skiing with friends, immersing himself in car culture, listening to podcasts, cooking, and hanging out with his cats. He is excited to mentor other CS students and help them navigate their academic and career journeys.

Krish Chaudhary

Krish Chaudhary is a fourth-year student at UCSB! His passion for building Legos led him to an early interest in engineering. Now, his Computer science-related interests include Computer Security, Computer Networking, Deep Learning, and Quantum Computing. Krish worked for the Security Lab on Campus, to develop a honeypot to trap thousands of malicious attackers. He is excited to help students learn about the many professional and social benefits UCSB offers and help students reach their maximum potential. In his free time, he loves reading, playing basketball, surfing, cooking, and playing the guitar.

Sanjana Ganti

Sanjana Ganti is an incoming third-year chemical engineering student at UCSB. Sanjana first started out wanting to go down the biomedical pathway, but after taking thermodynamics with Professor Gordon, she decided that she was very interested in energy, sustainability, engines, and anything related to power! Sanjana is interning this summer at Goleta Water District and is focusing on projects related to energy and water transport. Outside the classroom, Sanjana is a part of Theta Tau and loves pickleball, swimming, going to the gym, and being at the beach!

Cindy Guzman

Cindy Guzman is a rising fourth year studying for a Bachelors in Computer Science. She is from a commuter town in the north bay area but originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco. In her free time she likes to go to the gym, the beach, and watch free movies at IV theatre.

Kate Larrick

Kate Larrick started at UCSB as a political science major, but she transferred into computer science after realizing how effective CS can be as a creative outlet and after learning more about the positive contributions that people in tech can make to society. While in the major, she has been working as a web development intern and doing hardware-related research within UCSB's ArchLab. She is also interested in closing the gender gap in computer science--she has been the president of UCSB's Girls Who Code College Loop for the past few quarters, and she has had a great time leading demos and mentoring underclassmen. Outside of academics, she spends time swimming, playing guitar, crocheting, working as a swim instructor, failing at crossword puzzles, and taking breaks from using her brain by watching shows like Scandal and Bridgerton.

Rowan Steger

Rowan Steger is a fourth-year Chemical Engineering undergraduate student who grew up in Colorado and came to UCSB in search of sand, sun, and waves, all of which were in short supply back home. His passion for chemical engineering stems from the amazingly wide range of applications it can open you up to. He is currently involved in breast cancer research investigating how the mechanical properties of tissue around breast cancer cells affect their growth. He loves to spend his free time on boards of any kind, long, surf, or skate! Or if he's tired after a long day he enjoys sitting down to play guitar or video games. His favorite aspect about ChE at UCSB is the feeling of community that comes with such a small major, and he is excited to welcome new students into this close-knit, collaborative community!