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Kurtis Heimerl

Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering

Kurtis Heimerl

  • Ph.D. Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, 2013
  • MS.c. Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, 2009
  • B.S. Computer Engineering, University of Washington, 2007

Kurtis Heimerl returns to Computer Science & Engineering this winter as an assistant professor. He completed a postdoctoral position at UC Berkeley with fellow UW CSE alumnus Tapan Parikh as his graduate co-advisor. Kurtis’ research interests span information and communication technologies and development, human-computer interaction, and networks and systems. His work focuses primarily on developing wireless computing infrastructure equipped with radio systems that expand telecommunication access worldwide.

Kurtis was recognized with an MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Award for his work on Community Cellular, a low-cost, low-power system for providing small-scale and locally-owned cellular networks to rural communities lacking existing cellular coverage. He is the co-founder of Endgaga, a startup company that commercializes this research by bringing independent cellular technology to remote locations such as Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Philippines.

He has been awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and has been featured in Newsweek, The Economist and Reuters for his work in telecommunications like data privacy and infrastructure for undeserved communities.