Rashina Hoda is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Software Engineering and the Founder of the SEPTA research group at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Rashina received a BSc with honours distinction (summa-cum-laude) from Louisiana State University, USA and a PhD from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Her research has been published in the IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Education, Empirical Software Engineering, Journal of Systems and Software, Information and Software Technology, IEEE Software, and more. She received a Distinguished Paper Award for her ‘theory of becoming agile‘ at the most prestigious software engineering venue, the IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE2017).
Rashina is currently a Key Researcher on the developing in digital worlds MBIE project ($2.4 million), leading serious game design for 21st Century skills. She is serving on the Program Committee for ICSE2019 and as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Systems and Software (JSS) and as Associate Editor for the Development and Project Management Track at ICIS2018. She Chaired six research workshops at XP2018, and Leads the Impact-to-Industry Track at EASE2018. She has served as the Research Chair of the Agile India 2012 conference, as Associate Editor for the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS2015-16) and Co-Chair the Co-operative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering (CHASE) workshop at ICSE for several years. She regularly serves on the review panel for premier software journals such as TSE, TOSEM, ESE, JSS, IST and conferences such as XP, Agile, ASWEC and others.
She has been serving as the Industry and Projects coordinator for her department at UoA, bringing in multiple new contracts with companies such as the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), Deloitte, Datacom, Orion Health, MYOB, etc. She has also served as the Chair of the IEEE NZ North Computer Society, and Founder and Chair of the Women in Engineering groups. She is a keen advocate of women in Engineering and enjoys mentoring aspiring teachers and researchers, both female and male. Rashina works in close collaboration with the industry both in her research and teaching.
RESEARCH
Rashina’s research focuses on human and social aspects of software engineering, including software teams, practices, processes, project management, knowledge management, particularly focusing on these in agile and lean contexts; and on human-centred design, including serious game design, child computer interaction, user-centered design for smart energy consumption. She uses Grounded Theory and case studies to study software teams and practices in natural industrial settings. She is a key researcher on the developing in digital worlds project in collaboration with the faculty of education, funded by the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE). Rashina’s research, in collaboration with her research partners, has attracted over $2.7 million in external research funding.
INDUSTRY
Rashina specializes in industrial research, having worked in close collaboration with software practitioners for over 10 years. Through interviews and on-site observations, she identifies common patterns in software team practices and behaviour and formulates theories and explanations to assist software practitioners better navigate their everyday practical challenges. She serves as the Marketing Officer for the Software Innovations NZ research network, and the final year Project and Industry Coordinator for her department and is also a Certified Scrum Master.
TEACHING
Rashina’s teaching approach can be best described as research-led and industry-focused, meaning it is informed by latest research and strives to be industry relevant at all times. In recognition of her efforts, Rashina was presented at Faculty of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award in 2016. She created the popular final year Agile and Lean Software Development course in 2013 and has been running it since in close collaboration with the Auckland software industry. She introduced software Game Design to the software engineering curriculum at the third year, resulting in an increasing number of fourth-year students developing games and game-based apps in their final year project.
In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, and writing short stories and poems. Rashina enjoys presenting the voice of Agile research to practitioners and academics alike.
CONTACT
Email r.hoda@auckland.ac.nz Twitter @agileRashina LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rashina-hoda-2742701/
