Student Spotlight: Rishabh Swarnkar

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Rishabh Swarnkar grew up in San Jose, California and completed his B.S. at the University of Illinois in Computer Science and Math. Rishabh currently works at Zoox, a company that develops autonomous robotaxis. Rishabh decided to enroll in OMSCS because even though he was already working full time, he felt that industry and academic knowledge go hand-in-hand, and he wanted to discover other areas within computer science that he didn’t get the chance to explore in undergrad. What Rishabh loves most about OMSCS is “meeting other students and alumni from the program—I love having the opportunity to connect with folks with varying backgrounds and interests!”

I really enjoy meeting other students and alumni from the [OMSCS] program—I love having the opportunity to connect with folks with varying backgrounds and interests!

For Rishabh, computer science “means more opportunities to automate tasks that would otherwise take significantly more time, and I genuinely believe it’ll shape our future.” Rishabh loves the practical applications of computer science, “and this was epitomized during the OMSCS conference by some of the presentations. I was fascinated by how some peers were using software to educate underprivileged children, improve healthcare, and even reduce carbon emissions.” Furthermore, Rishabh would like to explore quantum computing a bit further: “CS 8803-O13: Quantum Computing under Prof. Qureshi was one of the most enjoyable courses I’ve ever taken, and I see a lot of growth in the area.” Besides computer science, Rishabh would “love to learn more about food science (yes, it’s a real thing!). I’ve been reading sections of The Wok by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, and it made me realize how much chemistry goes into making great dishes.”

[I] would have loved to work with Kobe Bryant... I think we could’ve built some amazing software to benefit athletes!

After graduation, Rishabh plans to celebrate, spend time with friends, and keep in touch with folks in OMSCS through student life: “PSA to folks reading this, join the Official OMSCS Student Life Slack channel to meet folks in your local chapter!”

An interesting fact about Rishabh is that he sang Baritone in college for their South-Asian Acapella team called Chai Town! He also loves playing volleyball or basketball which helps him de-stress after coding. In fact, if he could meet anyone past or present, he “would have loved to work with Kobe Bryant—technology in sports has advanced rapidly (and Kobe was my favorite basketball player growing up). I think we could’ve built some amazing software to benefit athletes!"