Each week we're featuring a Q&A with a member of our faculty in the School of Computing. Get to know some of our professors! This week we're featuring Assistant Professor of Practice Justin Firestone.
Name: Justin Firestone
Title: Assistant Professor of Practice
What are your research areas or areas of specialty/interest?
My dissertation focused on how software engineering principles could apply to synthetic biology from a safety-critical and security perspective. Since then, I have been interested in how typable characters are encoded for natural languages.
What courses are you teaching this year?
Algorithms & Data Structures, Introduction to Software Engineering, Business & Ethics Law, and Cyberlaw
How did you first become interested in computing or your specific area of computing?
My first computer was an Atari 1200, but it was the Commodore 64, which had the best video games, and I learned to code in BASIC.
What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of computing? What do you enjoy most about those?
I'm a bit of a movie buff. I also enjoy writing music and I have spent far too much time playing Elden Ring.
What is your favorite weekend activity?
Ideally, doing nothing at all.
Where is your favorite place you've traveled?
Stockholm, Sweden.
What is your favorite food?
My favorite cuisine is Indian, but Thai is a close second.
What is a fun fact or something other members of the school may not know about you?
I don't own a hat.
What is your favorite thing about being a part of the School of Computing?
Being part of a group with such a wide variety of interests and backgrounds, which helps provide the necessary perspectives to solve complicated problems.