Doing research at PLSE as an undergraduate

Do you wonder what it’s like to do research at PLSE? If you are a student without prior research experience, the PLSE lab may seem intimidating at first. However, PLSE supports a diverse body of undergraduates working on various research topics, from software engineering questions like “How good is a test suite” all the way to compilers for hardware. Our undergrads play an integral part in the PLSE community, growing with the lab and constantly making PLSE a better place.

In this blog post, we invite three recent PLSE alumni, who began their research journey as undergrads, to share with us their stories, friendship, and enthusiasm with PLSE. We also ask them to give advice to students who want to engage in undergraduate research.

If you are interested in research at PLSE, check out our page on getting involved. While we don’t always have availabilities for new RA positions, we are eager to work with enthusiastic undergrads whenever possible.

Vishal Canumalla

Vishal is now a Ph.D. student at Stanford. He has also shared some advice on undergraduate research in his blog.

My experience and advice for joining and thriving in PLSE could fill pages. One new method I heard about is “recipes”: give some tips on exactly what I would do in a certain situation to help build your intuition and decision calculus to succeed in PLSE. I have been in every one of these situations and more during my time at UW. Feel free to contact me for the long version if you have any other questions (vishalc@cs.washington.edu). With that said, let’s go! Also I’m going to set the acronym as PGS (profs or graduate students) since the advice will usually apply to whichever you’re asking.

1. You took 331/341/403/401 and were interested in the material and want to ask a PGS in PLSE to do research and see if it might be a good fit for you. However, you got a grade less than an A for whatever reason (hey we’re all human and struggle with new concepts… or sometimes we’re just a bit sluggish that quarter 🙂).
   • Just ask, no matter your aptitude or experience. When I first emailed folks for research, I had gotten a 3.6 in 341, and taken no other classes. It was a good grade, but far from perfect and I was definitely intimidated to ask folks. Never self-select. If the PGS doesn’t think there’s a great fit currently in their group, they’ll tell you kindly, they won’t shame you and ruin your career for all eternity. Often they’ll route you to others who do have opportunities. So just ask!
2. Research is tough with all your other commitments, including TAing, the variety of classes you are taking, and general life duties.
   • It happens to all of us, we overcommit and at some point our mental and/or physical health deteriorates. Don’t be afraid to talk with your research PGS mentor, and let them know. They are there to support your development, not the other way around! It’s also perfectly reasonable to step aside from one or more of your commitments to balance everything, even if just for a quarter or two.
3. You join a reading group (PLRG or SERG) and don’t understand what the heck this paper is about. As we Gen Z say, it just seems like yapping.
   • Lots of papers are confusing even to professors or graduate students. That’s what the reading group is there to solve! Ask PGS questions, especially during the hour-long read along early in the week, or on slack. If after the read-along you don’t understand the paper, remember that not all papers are created equal. A lot of papers are just not great or understandable. That’s a fault of the authors, not you. Still, they are helpful to read every now and then to teach you how not to write a paper.

I’ll let some other alumni speak rather than continuing to fill up the page. Like I said, feel free to contact me if you have any other questions about joining PLSE. Good luck in your soon-to-begin PL/SE career!

Andrew Cheung

Andrew is now a Ph.D. student at UC San Diego. He has also shared some advice on research, teaching, and life in his blog.

This is probably pretty sappy, but I have lots of gratitude in my heart for all the years of mentorship!

I joined PLSE in my last year of undergrad. When I started working with Gus, my mentor, I had very little understanding of what research was, what PL was, or even what I wanted to do after graduation. Fortunately for me, PLSE was a great place to figure all of those things out. Even as a junior student, I was a full-fledged proper PLSE member, and as such I had plenty of opportunities to get involved with research. I remember doing plenty of poster sessions, lunch talks, blog posts, and a student research competition, even when I didn’t feel like I was smart enough to do them (and if you’re reading this, you are!). In hindsight, the thing that gave me the strength to start doing these things was that people in the lab were excited and willing to help me when I needed it. I got so much help at PLSE, not only in the form of advice from senior students, but also from learning from the example of fellow junior students.

The important thing is this: one thing that makes PLSE special is that people don’t just tell you about opportunities – they help you go for them – and that has made an incredible impact on my life.

Ardi Madadi

Ardi is now a Ph.D. student at Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP).

This might sound like an attempt to out-sap Andrew 😂, but I stand by it wholeheartedly. TLDR: If you’re interested in anything that falls under the PLSE research umbrella, are ready to work hard, dive deep into the technical and scientific aspects of computer science, and want to build lifelong friendships with some of the most eccentric and loyal people, PLSE is the place for you, no matter your background.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

Don’t let your current situation or trajectory stop you from aiming high. The work ethic that got you this far can propel you forward at PLSE. While having relevant experience or coursework can show that you’ll do well in the lab, these are secondary to your excitement and willingness to commit to research.

Two decades ago, I was living in extreme poverty in a Middle Eastern country. My future didn’t resemble that of a PhD student at MPI with two degrees from UW CSE. It certainly didn’t look like someone who would end up at PLSE. But I kept my hope alive and kept knocking on doors. Eventually, I made it to the U.S., got into UW CSE, and—through a series of fortunate accidents—found my way into PLSE. So, never count yourself out. Reach out to PGS (borrowing the term from Vishal) and start a conversation.

Work Hard, Celebrate Even Harder

Being part of PLSE isn’t easy, and it’s not for everyone. One of the best parts for me was how most people loved corny jokes—it helped lighten the mood. I poured my heart and soul into this research, and I can’t imagine it being any other way for others who join. I echo Vishal’s advice to talk to your PGS when things get tough and to take breaks when necessary. My time in PLSE was a high-cost but extremely high-reward experience, and I would do it all over again without hesitation.

PLSE Friends Are the Best Friends!

PLSE was more than just a lab for me; it was a key part of my experience at UW, especially as most of my friends moved on after completing their undergrad. Unlike some other schools where PL and SE are separate—and sometimes even split into smaller labs—PLSE combines a wide range of projects and people from different backgrounds. This diversity only enriched our day-to-day interactions. We shared everything: navigating the pandemic, dealing with injuries and illnesses, pushing through paper deadlines, facing paper rejections, celebrating paper acceptances, putting events together, attending classes, applying for grad school, and countless shenanigans better left unsaid here.

What stands out most is the selfless support of my friends. Everyone in PLSE, no matter their own situation, was ready to go out of their way to help others succeed. One measure of a good working or personal relationship is how hard it is to say goodbye. I cried my eyes out the night my cohort graduated and we said our farewells in the lab.