வணக்கம்! Hello! My name is Gerald Soosairaj (ஜெரால்ட் சூசைராஜ்), and I am an Associate Teaching Professor in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California, San Diego. I was born and raised in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (the land of tradition and good coffee, as some say!), which is also where I completed my undergraduate studies. My area of research is computing education and I co-lead the Computing Education Research Lab at UC San Diego. Prior to joining UC San Diego, I completed an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Computer Sciences and Education and a Masters in Computer Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I did my undergraduate studies in B.Tech Information Technology at College of Engineering Guindy (CEG), Anna University in Chennai, India.

Teaching

I am extremely passionate about teaching and have experience teaching multiple lower and upper division computing classes at UC San Diego and UW-Madison. I have taught a wide variety of students from many different backgrounds ranging from K-12 (4th and 5th grade children) to working professionals.

I strongly support the creation and use of open educational resources (OER) in computing education to help students from lower socioeconomic status. I make most of my course materials including but not limited to lecture videos, textbooks, class notes, programming assignments, and worksheets freely and publicly available online. I co-authored two free online interactive textbooks for introductory programming courses in Python and Java and they are widely used in our lower division CSE courses at UC San Diego.

I teach a course called ‘Human Centered Process Oriented Intro to Programming’ (CSE 8A/6R). The course emphasizes a mastery-based and collaborative approach to learning, helping students master the basics of computational problem-solving and programming, while developing effective collaboration skills. Our class places a strong emphasis on the problem-solving process over the final product, encouraging students to learn from feedback and develop a true mastery of the concepts. Link: https://cse8a.site/

I also designed and developed a first-of-its-kind course called ‘Working with Large Code Bases’ (CSE 190). This course introduces students to working with large codebases in a systematic manner, focusing on equipping them with the skills to navigate and contribute to extensive, pre-existing code bases effectively. Students engage in hands-on learning experiences that emphasize program comprehension techniques (such as code navigation and debugging) alongside best practices for code management workflows (including version control and collaborative development). By the end of the course, participants gain practical experience in contributing to large code bases and are prepared to tackle real-world software engineering challenges. Link: https://cse190largecodebases.github.io/sp25/

Research

My current research (as of fall 2025) focuses on three main areas: 1) improving students’ program comprehension while working with large code bases, 2) generating and evaluating culturally relevant computing resources for introductory programming, and 3) student learning and engagement in computing courses in the age of Generative AI. The first project addresses the academia-industry gap by developing a high-impact course designed to teach students how to work on large, existing code bases, grounding the approach in Cognitive Apprenticeship and Information Foraging Theory to advance understanding of how students acquire program comprehension skills. The second project, a Broadening Participation in Computing Demonstration Project, involves generating and evaluating multi-cultural computing resources, such as a new textbook, for undergraduate Computer Science (CS) students, with the goal of evaluating their efficacy regarding student learning, retention, sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and attitudes towards computing in a CS1 course, ultimately aiming to develop and disseminate models for building inclusive computing curricula that create opportunities for all students. Finally, the third area investigates the dynamic challenges and opportunities presented by Generative AI to understand how to maintain and enhance student learning and engagement within computing education.

Service/Outreach

I am a member of the UCSD CSE AI-aware Curriculum Committee.

I am also involved in outreach activities to promote computing education among K-12 students. I have collaborated with local schools and organizations to conduct programming and mobile app development workshops, aiming to inspire young minds to explore the world of computer science.

Fun Things

In my free time, I enjoy playing tennis and practicing yoga, meditation and asanas. I love playing cricket, basketball, table tennis, and badminton whenever I get a chance. I am an adventure enthusiast and have tried activities like skydiving, bungee jumping, climbing the Himalayas, scuba diving, and paragliding! :)

Contact Information

If you would like to meet with me, please visit this link: Contact Information