Meet Yonghui Chen, New Software Architect at UCSD Division
By Maureen C. Curran
San Diego, CA, July 27, 2006 -- Yonghui Chen attended an experimental biology conference in San Diego in 2004 and fell in love with the city. He returned last month to stay, bringing an impressively diverse background not just in experimental biology, but also computer science.
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In late June, Chen joined the Software and Systems Architecture and Integration Team (SAINT) of the UCSD division of Calit2 as a software architect. Back in 2004, Chen already had a B.S. in genetics from Wuhan University in China, an M.A. in biophysics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an M.A. in computer science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). In addition, he was pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science at UAB, focused on data mining; he received his doctorate this June.
"Because of Yonghui's extensive background in data mining and bioinformatics, he brings diverse domain knowledge in areas of high relevance for Calit2, as well as excellent software engineering skills," says Ingolf Krueger, the project lead for SAINT and an assistant professor in residence in the Computer Science and Engineering department in the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering.
"Calit2 is an excellent research environment," says Chen, "I am glad to be part of a multidisciplinary team and look forward to working together and having fun." Chen has had fun in both biological science and computer science. He has authored and coauthored a number of research papers in both of his academic disciplines which have been published in international journals and presented at conferences. Fortunately for Calit2, one of those conferences brought him to San Diego.
Chen will work closely with SAINT software architect Stephen Pasco to provide a wide range of architecture and integration services to the Calit2 research community. SAINT has several different ongoing projects. Pasco has been briefing Chen on the current status of the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) project and is enjoying working with him.
Calit2's Pasco notes: "Yonghui is a very smart guy and I think he is a great addition to the team." The ESB provides a lightweight, scalable platform, or middleware, where diverse data sources and applications can share information, resulting in a very flexible and agile approach to systems of systems integration.
"One thing I enjoy most is that so many people need our service," notes Chen. "For example, an ESB will be very useful to biological research experts to share information, regardless of source." Chen continues: "The expertise and background that I bring to the group will help me to better understand the requirements of the researchers from different disciplines and what the problems are, which will result in improved service and better design architecture."
"San Diego is such a nice city," declares Chen "I just love it here." As for fun outside the lab, he has his eye on perhaps taking up windsurfing.