Featured Spotlight: Pranjali Jain – PhD student in Computer Science

In her own words – Interviewed during the 2025 year

• Hometown: Indore, India
• Previous Degrees: B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar
• Degree Sought from UCSB: Ph.D., 4th year 
• Advisor / Lab or Group Name: Timothy Sherwood / UCSB ArchLab
• CS Research Area: Computer Architecture
• Hobbies and Interests: Painting, Music, Hiking

Pranjali’s Research

• Main Area of Research: Computer Architecture for Sustainability, Machine Learning for Systems
• Research Interests: Sustainable computing, Energy-efficient systems design, Machine learning for system optimization
• Important Awards & Honors: IBM PhD Fellowship Recipient 2024-25, Qualcomm Innovation Fellowship Finalist 2024-25
• UCSB Student Organizations: Women in Computer Science (WiCS)
• Professional Memberships: Association for Computing Machinery Student Member
• Publications: Pranjali’s Google Scholar

Favorite things about

• Department: The amazing faculty and the collaborative atmosphere of the CS department help make research fun.
• UCSB: The proximity to the beach truly sets UCSB apart as a world-class campus! Plus, my office has an amazing view of the mountains, the perfect sight to enjoy everyday while working!
• Santa Barbara: Santa Barbara has stunning beaches, is very walkable, and has excellent public transport connections. It is vibrant year-round, and has plenty of hiking trails and outdoor activities to enjoy at any time.

Pranjali and her research

Tell us about your research: My research is broadly focused on designing energy-efficient and sustainable designs for modern computer systems. My work involves developing tools and metrics to define sustainability impacts of computer systems, and further utilizing these metrics to inform design decisions.

How and why did you get into your area of research? I have always been passionate about technology and its potential to drive positive change. As I became more aware of the environmental challenges associated with growing computational demands, I realized there was a significant opportunity to combine my interest in computer architecture with the need to design more sustainable systems. The idea of understanding sustainability impacts of systems to drive innovation in a way that leads to better and more energy efficient systems led me to focus on sustainable computing as my primary research direction.

Why did you select UCSB and Computer Engineering in regard to your research? My main motivation for choosing UCSB was the opportunity to work at ArchLab under the guidance of Prof. Timothy Sherwood and Prof. Jonathan Balkind. Their work spans a wide range of domains in computer science, and their focus on solving impactful interdisciplinary problems perfectly aligned with my research interests.

What do you find rewarding about your research? The potential to make a meaningful and measurable impact on how computer systems are designed remains the most rewarding part of my research. It is motivating to know that my work could contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of modern computing while also advancing the field.

Thoughts on working in a group research environment: The graduate students in ArchLab work in diverse research domains in computer architecture, which makes collaboration particularly exciting as we each bring unique perspectives to the table. In addition to supporting research, I find that being a part of a research lab also helps build community, which is extremely valuable given the often isolating nature of graduate school.

UCSB Prides itself on its collaborative atmosphere, give some examples of how you collaborate: The open and collaborative environment at UCSB is truly remarkable. For my research on sustainable computing, we have been actively collaborating with the Material Research Laboratories at UCSB, as well as with alumni from the Bren School. Additionally, we have also built connections and established collaborations with Harvard University to advance research on sustainable computer architecture.

Academics at UCSB

Strengths of the graduate program: The graduate program at UCSB offers the opportunity to work with world-class faculty who are not only experts in their fields, but are exceptional mentors as well. The graduate courses offered span a variety of computer science domains, and provide students with both theoretical foundations as well as hands-on research experience. The graduate program also boasts a diverse student body, while fostering a highly collaborative research environment. Beyond academics, there are numerous opportunities to engage with professional organizations and extracurricular clubs, all while being situated by the beach, promoting a healthy work-life balance for graduate students.

Favorite course: Advanced Computer Architecture (CMPSC 254) offered by Prof. Jonathan Balkind. This course dives deep into computer architecture and offers the opportunity to work on a research problem of your choice within the field of computer architecture for the final project.

Describe your Graduate Student Researcher (GSR) and/or Teaching Assistant (TA) experiences:  Throughout my graduate program, I have served as a TA for multiple computer science courses, including Computer Architecture and Logic Design (CMPSC 64), Computer Architecture (CMPSC 154), and Operating Systems (CMPSC 170). My duties involved leading sections, as well as grading assignments and exams. I have also served as the central TA for the Early Research Scholars Program (ERSP), where I was responsible for mentoring ten teams of undergraduate students in conducting computer science research. I have also worked as a GSR for multiple quarters, focusing primarily on advancing my own research.

Life as a graduate student

Quality of life as a graduate student and how you balance school, work, social, and family life: Balancing all aspects can become quite challenging as a graduate student, especially when there are looming deadlines. While I have not perfected managing my time to juggle research, academics, and personal life, I make an effort to set clear boundaries, such as not working on weekends and sticking to a consistent routine. I also make it a point to travel outside of Santa Barbara during breaks, which allows me to recharge and return each quarter with a refreshed perspective. Living in such a beautiful place like Santa Barbara certainly helps, offering countless opportunities to unwind and relax.

What is your social life like? My social life at UCSB has been a great blend of relaxation and activities. For most of my time here, I have lived in the San Clemente graduate student housing, which is close to the beach, so I make it a point to visit regularly. In my free time, I have been taking up new hobbies like pottery, crocheting and playing musical instruments. I also try to find time to hangout with my friends, and whenever possible, we go hiking or exploring beach trails.

Tell us about your summer break: I have alternated between industry internships, and working on my own research during my summers at UCSB. An interesting experience was serving as a TA for UCSB’s summer session program, where I mentored high school students developing their own research projects.

Advice to prospective graduate students: My advice to prospective graduate students is to stay curious, seek mentorship, and engage in collaborations to make the most out of the graduate school research and academic opportunities. At the same time, also try to maintain a healthy work-life balance and make time for hobbies and fun activities with friends. Graduate school is very demanding, but with some support and balance, it can be a rewarding experience.

Future Plans...

Where will your research take you next and what are your future career goals? I am interested in working in the industry after graduate school, and applying my research to real-world systems. I am eager to contribute to the development of greener, more efficient computer systems that create a positive impact on the environment and society.