On a new path
For CSE alumna Christine Julien, a single class led to a successful academic career
Computer science started out as more of a casual curiosity than a serious pursuit for Washington University in St. Louis alumna Christine Julien.
Julien, now head of the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech, wanted to be a doctor from a very young age. That interest led her to WashU as a biology major in Arts & Sciences. But a simple addition to her first-year course schedule set her on a different path.
“I knew computers were going to be sticking around, and I wanted to get a flavor of computer programming,” Julien said. “So, I added an intro programming class, and it turned out I was pretty good at it.”
So good, in fact, that professor Gruia-Catalin Roman, former chair of the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the Engineering school at WashU, nominated her for an award typically reserved for first-year computer science majors. Recognizing her strength in the subject, he also strongly suggested that she keep taking computer science classes. Three years later, when Julien was deciding whether to pursue graduate studies or stick with her long-held plan to go to medical school, Roman encouraged her to keep going on the computer science track.
“To say he was a transformative mentor is an understatement,” she said.
After earning bachelor’s degrees in both computer science and biology in 2000, Julien stayed at WashU to earn a master’s in computer science in 2003 and a doctor of science in computer science in 2004. She felt drawn to research and teaching, solidifying her decision to pursue a career in academia.
Next, Julien spent 20 years in the Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Texas at Austin holding various roles, including professor and associate dean. A passionate educator, she taught courses related to programming, algorithms, software engineering and mobile computing. Her fondness for algorithms, a class she taught for 15 years, began at WashU as a student in an algorithms course led by Sally Goldman, formerly the Edwin H. Murty Professor of Engineering.
“I loved that class and the understanding it gave me for the way these pathways work,” she said.
Julien’s research focuses on engineering software that supports a range of smart devices and environments, targeting emerging application domains related to the Internet of Things (IoT). She has worked to develop models, abstractions, tools and middleware whose goals are to ease the software engineering burden associated with building applications for these pervasive and mobile computing environments.
“When I think about the Internet of Things, it’s this idea of the disappearing computer, the idea that the computing part of computers is kind of woven into your everyday environments,” she said. “So rather than having a screen of your computer with you sitting behind it, software that’s running these IoT devices should allow you to be more present in your environment, not pull you out of it.”
It’s an area of study that has evolved rapidly in the time since Julien was at WashU.
“When I was in grad school, these devices were big and ugly,” Julien said. “We’ve come a long way.”
Her students have been instrumental in her work, particularly in the emerging field of AI.
“Despite my resistance, my students pushed me to explore the integration of AI, making generative AI practical on these small devices,” she said. “And they were right.”
Last fall, Julien made the move to Virginia Tech, where she oversees more than 80 faculty members and leads the department at a pivotal time as it expands its programs with the opening of its new Innovation Campus.
Although many changes have occurred in the field during her career, her advice for young engineers is timeless.
“Don’t forget to ask yourself, ‘How is it making the world better?’” she said. “It’s so important to think about that during the design process, because that is really what engineers are doing.”
