Instructors and TAs

Donald Ferguson (Instructor)

Don is an adjunct professor in the Dept. of Computer Science. Don has been an adjunct professor for a total of 15 semesters over many years. Don has taught every spring and fall semester since fall 2014. This is Don's 11th time teaching W4111 - Introduction to Databases. Don also usually teaches a Topics in SW Engineering -- Cloud Computing course in in the fall semester. In addition to being an adjunct professor, Don was a full-time Professor of Practice in Computer Science during 2018.

Don has a long history in the software industry. Don worked for IBM from 1985 to 2007, and became an IBM Fellow in 2001. Don has also been a Microsoft Technical Fellow, Dell Senior Fellow, and CTO for CA technologies. Don was the co-founder and CTO for Seeka TV. Don is currently Chief SW Architect and Ansys Fellow, at Ansys, Inc.

Don got his undergraduate, masters and Ph.D. from Columbia University.

Joshua Zhou (Head TA)

Joshua is a senior studying Computer Science (Software Systems) in SEAS. He took 4111 with Professor Ferguson in Spring 2022 and found it very rewarding and relevant. He used knowledge from this course at internships at Coinbase and Datadog. In his free time, Joshua enjoys playing tennis and listening to music. He looks forward to working with you all this semester!

Rattandeep Singh (Head TA)

Rattandeep is a first-year graduate student in SEAS, pursuing a degree in Computer Science with a specialization in Machine Learning. He previously took this course as an undergraduate and subsequently worked as a Software Engineer at Intuit. His professional background includes extensive experience in developing production applications, where he applied database concepts in an industrial context to products serving millions of customers. Rattandeep is deeply committed to continuous learning and is eager to share his knowledge while also learning from others. He is enthusiastic about serving as a TA for this course at Columbia.

Amelia Wissink (TA)

Amelia is a senior in SEAS studying Computer Science on the Applications track. She took 4111 with Professor Ferguson in Spring 2022 and has TAed for both Intro to Java and Data Structures. In the past, she has interned at Google as a software engineer and worked as a TA for the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program. In her free time, Amelia loves to read, cook, and try new restaurants. This course was one of her favorites thus far at Columbia, and she is so excited to work with you all this semester!

Anisha Gupta (TA)

I am Anisha Gupta. I am a first-year graduate student in SEAS, studying Computer Science with a specialization in Software Systems. I have a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Vellore, India. Following my undergrad, I worked as a cloud developer in Hewlett-Packard enterprise for almost two years, where I implemented storage array functionalities in a cloud-native environment. While I haven’t taken this course at Columbia, I have done a similar course in my undergrad and it was one of my favorite college courses. I think it is extremely relevant for industries and gives a solid foundation to an upcoming software engineer. I love trying new food and enjoy exploring new restaurants. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, going on walks, or binge-watching shows on Netflix.

Emily Gul (TA)

Emily is a junior in CC studying Computer Science on the Applications track with a special concentration in Linguistics. She really enjoyed taking Intro to Databases with Professor Ferguson last Spring and is super excited to be a TA for the course for the first time. In the past, Emily has been a TA for both Calc III and Linear Algebra and has interned at an insurtech company called Zinnia as a software engineer. She is looking forward to a great semester!

JP Suh (TA)

JP is a senior at CC studying Computer Science with a special concentration in Business Management. He took 4111 with Professor Ferguson in Spring 2022 and is excited to be TA'ing for this course for the second time. Previously, he did engineering and PM internships at Google and worked at a startup as a software engineer during his gap years. In his free time, JP enjoys playing soccer, kickboxing, and table tennis. Excited to work with everyone this semester!

Karla Zuniga (TA)

Hello! I'm Karla Zuniga, and I'm delighted to be your TA for course 4111. In Spring '23, I had the privilege of taking this course with Professor Ferguson, an experience that profoundly impacted me thanks to its real-world applications in computer science.

Prior to this role, I've been a Teaching Assistant for both Data Structures and Introduction to Java. Additionally, I had the privilege of contributing in CS as a researcher during my internship at Harvard University’s engineering department. Outside of the academic world, I cherish spending quality time with my family, diving into a good book, and going for runs. I'm truly passionate about this course, and I look forward to guiding you through an exciting semester of learning at Columbia!

Kavika Krishnan (TA)

Kavika is a junior in SEAS studying Computer Science and Operations Research. She took 4111 with Professor Ferguson in Spring 2023 and used her database skills interning at Asana and Gemini. Beyond academics, she is part of the Engineering Student Council and CU Sur. This spring is her first time TAing the course, and she is very excited to work with you this semester!

Maria Luiza (TA)

Maria Luiza is a senior in SEAS studying Industrial Engineering and Operations Research on the Analytics track. She took 4111 with Professor Ferguson in Spring 2022 and has been a TA for the course in the semesters since. In the past, Maria has taught math to adult learners in the process of getting their GEDs and worked in the commercial banking industry. She spends her free time cooking, baking, watching movies, and playing board games. Maria is so excited about the new semester and hopes you all have the best time in the class!

Mariam Mustafa (TA)

Mariam is a senior in Barnard majoring in Computer Science on the Applications track. She took Databases in Spring 2023, and found the course material extremely relevant and helpful and really enjoyed the class! For the past three summers in college, she interned at Amazon and worked on the FinTech team. In her free time, Mariam likes to hike and eat at new restaurants. She is really looking forward to meeting and working with everyone this semester!

Meixuan Lu (TA)

I am an MSCS student in machine learning track and I took this course last semester. I took my undergrad in University of Toronto software engineering program. Although this is my first time as a TA/CA at Columbia, I have been TAing many upper level courses during undergraduate since 2021 and I am happy to answer any questions related to course materials or other stuff regarding CS. I enjoy watching animes in my free time, so feel free to talk to me about animes!

Monirul Islam (TA)

I'm a MSCS graduate student in my last semester. I took COMS6156 Cloud Computing with Professor Ferguson and I also have TA for the same class during Fall 2023. I'm currently a software engineer at Coinbase. I love working as a TA and developing my skills in teaching. I hope to one day work as a part time professor after completing MSCS.

Yifei Luo (TA)

I'm passionate about databases because they're the structural backbone of modern technology. My goal is to make the world of databases as exciting for other students as it is for me. When I'm not immersed in the world of data, you'll often find me playing the piano or singing along to my favorite songs. Music is not just a hobby for me; it's a way to unwind and find inspiration. I'm also a fan of video games, with "League of Legends" and "Ronki" being two of my absolute favorites.