CSE 312: Foundations of Computing II, Autumn 2021

Course Staff/Office Hours

In addition to the staff contact information, this page contains the most up-to-date listing of staff office hours.

Here you can find the office hours queue form. Use this if your TA needs to manage the flow of students in office hours.

All Office Hours:

For the zoom links, please go to canvas and click on the zoom tab.

• Anna Karlin (she/her) (Instructor)
• karlin [at] cs.washington.edu
• Office Hours: Mondays, 8:00-9:00pm (and by appointment) on Zoom


• Welcome to CSE 312! I'm super excited to be teaching you all this quarter. I've been a professor at UW for a very long time, longer than I like to admit... My research is in algorithms and algorithmic game theory, with a focus on probabilistic and online algorithms. I love probability! Outside of work and my beloved family, I'm obsessed with tennis and music.

• Aleks Jovcic (He/Him) (Head TA)
• ajovcic [at] cs.washington.edu
• Office Hours: Wednesdays, 4:00-5:00pm, In-Person (Gates 131)


• Hi everyone! My name is Aleks and I'm so excited to be CSE 312's head TA this quarter! I'm a senior studying Computer Science. Besides teaching, I love music, filmmaking and movies, and playing (and designing) TTRPG's. Right now is a difficult time for a lot of us, so if you need any help, 312 or otherwise, don't hesistate to reach out!

• Alexander Fernandez (He/Him) (TA)
• alexfern [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AE
• Office Hours: Fridays, 4:00-5:00pm on Zoom


• Hey, Alex here. I'm a junior and am looking forward to finally being able to have classes in person again. In addition to loving the theory side of Computer Science and double majoring in Math, I also enjoy low level program (C/C++), so whether you have questions about this class or 351/333, feel free to ask me. When I'm not coding up a storm or solving a math proof, I enjoy playing video games and hiking with my dog Jax (in the photo). Recently this last year I've also been practicing cooking, so if you're in need of any recipie suggestions, I might be able to provide.

• Anna Goncharenko (She/Her) (TA)
• angonch [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AB
• Office Hours: Mondays, 6:30-7:30pm on Zoom


• Hi! My name is Anna and I'm excited to be your TA this quarter! I took this class last fall with Anna Karlin, so I hope you find this class as interesting as I do. I am a senior in computer science, but outside of being a STEM girlboss I enjoy bouldering, weight lifting, learning about climate change and sustainability, and spending absurd amounts of money on matcha. Come to my office hours for help on any coursework, content, or if you just want to talk - I know we could all catch up on some socializing time right now :) Please reach out if you need anything!

• Arya GJ (He/Him) (TA)
• agk8 [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AA
• Office Hours: Tuesdays, 6:00-7:00pm on Zoom


• Hi everyone! I'm Arya and I'm from Bangalore, India. I am a junior studying Computer Science. I took this class in Winter 2021 and I am a big fan of the concepts you'll learn here. I love watching sports, particularly football (soccer) and F1. I am a big music person, so definitely drop any suggestions. Feel free to reach out about anything. Happy fall quarter!

• Ivy Guo (She/Her) (TA)
• zhifeig [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AD
• Office Hours: Mondays, 3:30-4:30, In-person (Gates 121)


• Hello everyone! My name is Ivy, and I’m really excited to be one of your TAs this quarter. I’m a senior majoring in computer science and linguistics. I took CSE 312 with Professor Rachel Lin in Spring 2020. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. In my free time, I like playing with my dog, watching movies, and listening to music. I look forward to meeting you all!

• Jerome Paliakkara (He/Him) (TA)
• jeromp [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AC
• Office Hours: Saturdays, 3:00-4:00pm on Zoom


• Hi, I'm Jerome, a 5th year master's student. I've been a TA for CSE 312 once before, and it's probably my favorite theoretical CS course. I enjoy cooking, dank memes, hiking and listening to punk/hip-hop. I'm also mildly obsessed with playing cards and magic, so ask me about it :)

• Khang Zhie Phoong (He/Him) (TA)
• phoongkz [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AA
• Office Hours: Tuesdays, 11:30am-12:30pm, In-person (Gates 121)


• Hello! I am Khang, from Singapore, and I am very excited to be a TA for CSE 312 this quarter. I really enjoyed this class when Anna taught it in Fall 2020, and I hope you will be able to enjoy it like I did. In my free time, I play the clarinet, dance, and also watch tons of shows and movies! Come to my office hours if you need help with the course or want to chat about CS advising stuff (I'm a Peer Adviser too!) or anything at all.

• Melissa Lin (She/Her) (TA)
• mlin23 [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AB
• Office Hours: Sundays, 4:00-5:00pm on Zoom


• Hi everyone! I'm Melissa and I'm super excited to TA CSE 312 again this quarter! I'm a junior majoring in computer science and minoring in math. I grew up in Redmond, WA not far from campus, and during the pandemic, I enjoyed crocheting, reading, going on walks, and watching Brooklyn 99 (the best show ever). Please come to my office hours to ask questions or just chat about life! I can't wait to meet you all!

• Phawin Prongpaophan (He/Him) (TA)
• phawin [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AD
• Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1:00-2:00pm, In-person (Gates 121)


• Hi! If you have guessed from my name (pronounced [pʰaːwin]) that I'm from Thailand, you are right. As of the beginning of 21au, I’m currently a senior, double major in Computer Science and Economics with a minor in Mathematics. Outside of the classes, I enjoy doing competitive programming. For a little more relaxing stuff, I love playing varieties of modern board games, where I try to make friends with probability.

• Sherry Zhao (She/Her) (TA)
• zhaox43 [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AC
• Office Hours: Sundays, 2:00-3:00pm on Zoom


• Hi everyone! My name is Sherry and I'm a senior majoring in Computer Engineering and ACMS. I took this class last fall with Anna and ended up learning a lot from it. Hope you'll enjoy the class as well. This is my first time to be a TA and I'm so exciting! Outside of studying, I love playing badminton and spending tons of time in gym.

• Zoe Kaputa (She/Her) (TA)
• zokaputa [at] cs.washington.edu
• Section AE
• Office Hours: Wednesdays, 7:00-8:00pm on Zoom


• Hi! My name is Zoe, and I’m excited to be TAing for 312 this quarter. I’m a sophomore studying Computer Science. I’m originally from Connecticut but moved to Seattle for college. I’m also minoring in Digital Arts and Experimental Media and am passionate about combining technology with art.