COSMOS warmly welcomes Richa Pokhrel as a new Graduate Assistant. She is a graduate of Tribhuvan University, IOE Thapathali, in Kathmandu, Nepal. At the COSMOS Research Center, Richa helps design, develop, and test social media-based information analysis systems. She also shares what inspired her to join COSMOS and discusses her aspirations and future goals in the field.

Please share a bit about your professional background and experience.

I am a master’s student in Computer Science with backend development experience and a strong foundation in software engineering. I have worked with Python, Java, RESTful APIs, and SQL databases, gaining skills in system design, data processing, and debugging scalable applications. As a Graduate Assistant at COSMOS, I continue to enhance my technical and analytical skills while contributing to research projects.

What attracted you to join the COSMOS Research Center? What aspects of COSMOS stood out to you and why?

I was particularly drawn to Prof. Agarwal’s research because of his impactful work in computational social science and his vision of using data-driven methods to better understand online information ecosystems. His leadership at the COSMOS Center in bringing together interdisciplinary research to study issues like information diffusion and adversarial information campaigns is very inspiring. The innovative research culture he has fostered makes COSMOS an exciting place to learn and contribute.

How do you anticipate your role at COSMOS helping your growth on both a personal and professional level? Are there any specific skills or experiences you’re looking to gain?

Working at COSMOS will help me grow professionally by allowing me to contribute as a full-stack developer for BlogTracker while supporting research on collective action. This role will strengthen my skills in building research tools, handling large-scale data, and collaborating with interdisciplinary researchers. Personally, I hope to gain deeper insight into how technology can support social science research and develop stronger problem-solving and teamwork skills.

From your experience, what tips, insights, or advice would you share with someone starting a new role at COSMOS?

My advice would be to stay curious and open to learning from different disciplines. COSMOS brings together technology and social science, so being willing to explore new ideas and ask questions is very valuable. It is also helpful to communicate and collaborate closely with the research team, since understanding the research goals makes it easier to build tools like the Blog Tracker effectively. Finally, take initiative and treat challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.

If you could share a meal with any historical figure or fictional character, who would it be, and what would you want to talk about and want to learn from them?

If I could share a meal with someone, I would choose Alan Turing. I would love to talk with him about how he approached complex problems and how he imagined the future of computing and artificial intelligence. I would also want to learn about his thought process when developing ideas that were far ahead of his time, and how curiosity and persistence guided his work.