Dr Julia Ive is a Lecturer in Natural Language Processing at School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London. She joined Queen Mary from Imperial College in September 2021.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
That it is both extremely challenging and rewarding at the same time.
I love every step in the process of a scientific discovery: the first thrill of asking yourself the “good question”, the first hypothesis and the first experimental protocol almost pre-destined to fail, my doubts about going in the right direction and doing the right thing. I enjoy seeing how my hypotheses and experiments evolve and mature. As I see the results come in and start to validate and prove the hypothesis, I feel a sense of enrichment. And then as the end goal comes closer I even start to enjoy the sense of competition from others, who are striving to make the same discovery as I am, the butterflies in my stomach as I anticipate being the one who wins the race. Finally, the biggest reward is the immense satisfaction of discovery, reaching a milestone after sometimes years of hard work, sharing it with the community and excitement about the future plans.
Similarly, another challenging and rewarding aspect for me is working with my students. I like to take a challenging algorithm or model, investigate its depth and complexity, then present it to my students in an intuitive way to reveal its essence. When I then see how they then begin to understand what they first thought was a daunting concept, it gives me great satisfaction at helping them on their scientific journey.
What inspired you to choose Computer Science?
I’ve always been fascinated by how we, as human beings, can achieve so much using the power of our minds yet be so vulnerable at the same time. And that led to the desire to see how by building tools like computers we can complement and enhance our abilities.
I began my academic career in Historical Linguistics (following in family footsteps), studying how language as a means of communication evolves over time. For me it was then a natural progression to focus on the next horizon for humanity in how computers communicate and will collaborate with us.
What are your research interests?
My research interests lie in the area of Natural Language Processing (NLP), the field of science concerned with automatic analysis and synthesis of natural languages. It combines my three main areas of scientific expertise: Computer Science, Linguistics and Cognitive Science. My main research focus is on the generation of the natural language.
The way the human mind processes its environment and how the acquired information is expressed in language has always intrigued me. Designing optimal ways to generate human language using machines gives me a unique tool to analyse the world and get insights into the mystery of such a complex self-evolving communication tool as the natural language.
Beyond its theoretical value, my research has also very important practical applications such as assisting humans in everyday routines with automatically generated text drafts or protecting privacy by generating artificial text in sensitive scenarios.
What is your greatest career or non-career achievement?
My Lectureship is my biggest career achievement and I am very thankful to QMUL for giving me this opportunity. Since I came to London in 2017, I have had a unique opportunity to work with most remarkable researchers, conduct my own research and teach several generations of inspiring students.
I am immensely grateful to some of those people who have supported me on my path towards this Lectureship. This role has allowed me to take a first step towards my dream to become an influential scientist and to be able to shape new generations of scientists.
I think my biggest non-career achievement is still ahead.
When not at EECS, what are your interests?
Apart from spending time with my family, I love running, which as a mentally and physically stimulating activity has hugely supported me during these lockdowns.
It gives me the opportunity to maintain physical shape and think through the things that happened during the day to get a new fresh perspective on them. Sometimes I even get new research ideas while running.
What are the challenges and opportunities in being a woman in the field of EECS?
I started my career in Computer Science in the early 2000’s and can only be proud of the progress in promoting gender diversity in the field. I think the biggest challenge for a woman in EECS is overcoming stereotypes. Hence the need to constantly strive to break those stereotypes, communicate your position assertively and prove others wrong.
And no matter how difficult it could be, I think that breaking those stereotypes in EECS is the biggest opportunity for women to push their own boundaries and contribute to the future of society at the cutting edge of research.
Why would you say women should consider a career in engineering or computer science?
Listen to your heart and choose your career based on what is genuinely interesting and inspiring to you. If this happens to be EECS then go for it. Nobody else’s opinion should matter but your own.
What are your thoughts on diversity in computer science and do you feel change is needed?
The progress regarding diversity in Computer Science is noticeable but there is still a long way to go. I think the key to further progress is promoting open communication and exchange of experience.
Being surrounded by people different from yourself can often trigger a sense of self-doubt, imposter syndrome and desire to retract. These are the main psychological obstacles on the way to success. Open confidential conversation with colleagues or more experienced mentors, as well as a friendly work and study environment are extremely important to overcome these obstacles.
Do you have any role models that you look up to, both inside and outside your field?
My main role models in the field are my scientific mentors: Prof. Maria Liakata and Prof Lucia Specia. Both of them are exceptional scientists and colleagues. Throughout my career path, they have both supported me on the professional and personal levels. In any difficult situation I know I can turn to them and always receive support and helpful advice.
I have met Lucia as a PhD graduate. Thanks to her I have gained my confidence both as a researcher and a teacher. I have always been able to share my most hidden doubts with her and receive encouragement. Maria has met me already as a beginner researcher pursuing my research ambition. She was there to tell me not to give up in the moment when I needed it the most.
My main role model outside my research field is my mum. She is a strong ambitious woman and an influential researcher in Linguistics. She has always encouraged me to take on new challenges and never give up on my dreams.