Points of Contact

At CSLab, each research group has a computing support specialist assigned to it, called a "Point of Contact" (PoC). As the name suggests, this person is intended to be the first "Point of Contact" for any computer issues. Some of the things a PoC can do include:

• Assisting researchers to run machines, in the case of machines run by their own users (e.g. laptops, and some desktops).
• Running a research group's machines, in the case of machines the group wishes to be professionally managed by their system administrator.
• Installing and maintaining group-specific software on CSLab-run machines.
• Interacting with the CSLab staff who run the core computing infrastructure for the department.

• Answering all manner of questions about computing. The current PoCs for the department are:

To reach your point of contact, simply send email. Of course, if you want to talk to your point of contact because your email is not working, you might prefer to call, using the number listed above. If you can't find your PoC, and it is an emergency, you might try contacting your group's Administrative and Financial Services support person to see if the PoC has made emergency contact arrangements with that person.

PoC Biographies

Michael (Misko) Dzamba

Michael (Misko) Dzamba is the PoC for the Computational Biology group, and additionally serves as a research assistant for the group, focusing on analysis of next generation gene sequencing data, in collaboration with Sick Kids Hospital and the Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto. Previously, Misko worked at the TATA Computation Research Laboratory in India to develop bioinformatics applications for the EKA supercomputer. He holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science (AI and Bioinformatics) from the University of Toronto.

John Hancock

John Hancock is presently the PoC for the DGP group, since 2003. He possesses diverse experience in system administration, videoconferencing, software development, and computer diagnosis and repair, in both industry and academia. His experience in the software industry includes work at SignalRock Inc, where he helped develop a voice response system for the company, and Expresto Software, where he contributed to Creator, a Video editing application. He holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science (Software Engineering) from the University of Toronto.

Eric Logan

Eric Logan is the PoC for the Systems and Networks group. As Computing Director, and later President of the University of Waterloo Mathematics Society, supplemented by stints at Research in Motion and Kanetix, Eric has built up a diverse repertoire of skills in educational computing. He holds a B.Math from the University of Waterloo.

Relu Patrascu

Relu Patrascu presently serves as PoC for AI. He has worked as an academic system administrator for Ryerson University, the Ontario Cancer Institute, the University of Waterloo and the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. Relu first arrived in the department in 2003, as a postdoctoral fellow under Dr. Craig Boutilier, after having completing a Ph.D. in Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. He also holds an M.Sc from the University of Guelph, and a B.Sc. from Ryerson University.

Alan Rosenthal

Alan Rosenthal is the PoC for the SE, NA, and DB groups, and is a senior system administrator for the DGP group in the department, a role in which he has served for over a decade. An academic system administrator with over twenty years of experience, he has also worked for the University of Toronto's Department of Economics, OISE, the Department of Psychology at McMaster University, and as a consultant in both the private and public sectors. In addition, Alan served as an academic lecturer for the department from 2000 to 2006.

Lloyd Smith

Lloyd Smith has been a systems administrator with the Department of Computer Science since 1995, working in the department's teaching labs and supporting administrative staff computing needs. Projects he has been involved with include an internal website for resource booking, a content management system for the departmental website, an information system for recording graduate student data, and a web based faculty employment application system. Previously he has worked as a research technician in life sciences research.

Ingrid Varga

Ingrid Varga is the PoC for the theory group. Possessor of a diverse range of experience in business and the arts, including computer technical support, web design, database design and maintenance, software development, photography and cinematography, Ingrid has a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Toronto, and a Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung and a Zertificat Deutsch als Fremdsprache from the Goethe-Institut in Toronto.