Hello from the Allen School Graduate Advising Team! Our mission is to provide administrative guidance and compassionate support to students, faculty, and staff so that they can successfully navigate all aspects of our Ph.D. program. Read on to get to know us and our areas of expertise a little better!
Prospective students can reach us at grad-admissions (at) cs (dot) washington (dot) edu.
Current students, faculty, and staff can reach us at grad-advising (at) cs (dot) washington (dot) edu.
Receiving feedback is an important component to providing quality and responsive advising so we encourage you to reach out to us directly or submit feedback through one of the links below.
I grew up in San Diego in a working-class family. I didn’t think college was for me, but after about 8 years of stop-and-go progress through community college, I left for Humboldt State University where I studied sociology and became the first in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree. I fell in love with geographic information systems (GIS). I arrived in Seattle in 2008 to pursue a Ph.D. in geography usings GIS to study social media traffic related to social activism. Along the way, I picked up a GA position as an undergraduate academic advisor and have worked in the field ever since. I’ve worked with undergraduates and graduate students in Undergraduate Academic Advising as well as the Information School.
Joe Eckert, M.A.
Title: Recruitment & Retention Specialist Email: jeckert1 (at) cs (dot) washington (dot) edu Key Interestes: General Ph.D. program advising, CPT and CSE 601 approvals, Milestone evaluation coordination, Morale Funds, student volunteer programs Pronouns: pronoun/pronoun Fun Facts: I love corgis (especially mine, but any will do). If I’m not gaming, I’m probably cooking up something with a culinary gadget or out back with the grill. My newest gadget is a high speed ice cream maker!
Lee's Expanded Bio
I am a Black man with Ojibwe Chippewa heritage in my backround and I use he/him pronouns. My family moved to Seattle in 1978, the year the Seattle Super Sonics won the NBA championship. I graduated from UW, with a BA in Political Science; I was the first one in my family to graduate from college. I began my higher education career in 1990 at Skidmore College where I first started developing recruiting and retention programming for college bound youth from diverse backgrounds. In 1999, I made a career transition to become an IT Recruiter, where I cut my teeth in technical recruiting while rising up the ranks. I went back to higher ed in 2004 by accepting a Grad Advisor position at UW Tacoma for the M.S. in Computing Software Systems graduate program. Prior to UW Seattle, I spent time at Clover Park Technical College as a career navigator coach and recruiter. I hold a masters degree in Organizational Leadership from Chapman University.
Les Sessoms, M.A.
Title: Recruitment & Retention Specialist Email: lsessoms (at) cs (dot) washington (dot) edu Key Interestes: Coordinates recruiting programs including representing the Allen School at national conferences and the UW CSE PAMS program. Retention programs include the LEAP Alliance & Fellow Program, New Grad Mentor Program, and Minorities in Tech (MIT) staff adviser. Fun Facts: Michigan native but moved to Seattle when I was 13; so I know the city well! My hobbies and interests include watching TedTalks on YouTube, playing games on my Oculus vr headset, tinkering with my bass guitar, walking, all forms of basketball, tennis and hanging out with my family and my dog, Lil Uzee.
Christoper's Expanded Bio
Originally from Atlanta, GA I’m a deeply curious STEM advocate and passionate about science, research, and supporting the student journey in higher education. I received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania (BA ’14) and a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from the Harvard University Extension School (ALM’ 18). My graduate thesis work investigated the impact of transnational commercial fishing fleets on shark populations in the seas surrounding the Indian subcontinent. I’ve held a variety of research and programmatic support positions at organizations operating mainly within the Academic/NGO ecosystem: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, UNFCCC Secretariat, USM Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, and the Seattle Aquarium, to name a few. Inside the classroom specifically, I was recently an Adjunct Lecturer in Sustainability & Environment at Hussain College in Fall 2021. Come talk about #HigherEd #Science #Sustainability #Climate
Christopher Nagle
Title: Program Coordinator – Student Advising Email: chnagle (at) cs (dot) washington (dot) edu Key Interestes: Often the first point of contact for student / external interactions with the GSSO. I handle walk-ins and office correspondence; manage graduate student office spaces and support CSE events; process doctoral admissions; coordinate our visiting scholars; and assist student volunteer programs. Fun Facts: I once Huckleberry Finn’ed a cargo barge most of the length of the Amazon River and rode a motorcycle through the Karakorum and Himālaya.
Elise's Expanded Bio
As the Director of Graduate Student Services, I help drive the admissions process and monitor student progress from program entry through graduation. In concert with a student’s faculty research advisor, who acts as a technical mentor for each Ph.D. student, the graduate advising team serves as a first-line of support to promote academic success and a fulfilling graduate experience. I have been with the Alen School since 2010, beginning as an academic advisor for the undergraduate program. I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology and my master’s degree in education, both at the University of Washington.
Elise Dorough, M.Ed.
Title: Director of Graduate Student Services Email: elised (at) cs (dot) washington (dot) edu Key Interestes: Review of progress, fellowships & funding, program extensions for international students. Fun Facts: My grandparents immigrated to the US from the Netherlands to start a tulip farm. To this day, my family still operates a farm in Western Washington though they have expanded beyond tulips. I enjoy reading, travel, swimming in lakes in the summer, and trying out various kinds of donuts year-round.
Anna's Expanded Bio
Anna Karlin, Bill & Melinda Gates Chair in Computer Science and Engineering, received her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1987. Before coming to the University of Washington, she spent 5 years as a researcher at (what was then) Digital Equipment Corporation’s Systems Research Center. Her research is primarily in theoretical computer science: the design and analysis of algorithms, particularly probabilistic and online algorithms. She also works at the interface between theory and other areas, such as economics and game theory, data mining, operating systems, networks, and distributed systems.
Anna Karlin, Ph.D.
Title: Associate Director for Graduate Studies & Graduate Program Coordinator Email: karlin (at) cs (dot) washington (dot) edu
