2020 MIMS Final Project Judges

Session 1

Andrea Gagliano (MIMS 2017)

Andrea is senior manager of data science at Getty Images, leading their AI/ML team bringing visual search experiences to creatives. Outside of Getty, Andrea uses art to explore and question the use of machine learning and data in society and cultures. She is a 2017 MIMS and Berkeley Center for New Media alum.

Paul Glenn (MIMS 2017)

Paul is a senior analytics engineer at Spotify where he focuses on making data accessible to employees of varying technical ability. He’s held a variety of positions in the technology, media and financial industries and is a 2017 MIMS graduate.

Timothy Meyers (MIMS 2015)

Timothy Meyers is a data scientist at Facebook, currently building new location-aware consumer experiences as part of the location platform team. Over the years he has worked on the Search, Messenger, and Growth teams, providing strategic guidance and data support to improve a variety of products that have impacted billions of people. Prior to Facebook, Timothy worked as a software engineer for the Federal Railroad Administration, building simulation systems to measure rail safety and the efficacy of new accident-prevention technologies. While at Berkeley, he channeled his passion for social entrepreneurship and design into his MIMS Final Project, an information management system for helplines in China.

Galen Panger (Ph.D. 2017)

Galen Panger is a senior UX researcher at Google, where he works in consumer product development in the leisure travel space across Google Search and Google Maps. Galen received his Ph.D. from the School of Information in 2017 and won the international iSchools Doctoral Dissertation Award for his thesis, Emotion in Social Media, which challenges popular conceptions of social media behavior and common uses of social media data in academic research. At the I School, Galen co-founded the Center for Technology, Society & Policy, now celebrating its 5-year anniversary, to support emerging technologists and scholars working at the intersection of those three spheres. Prior to Berkeley, Galen received his bachelor's degree in public policy from Stanford University and worked in policy communications at Google in Washington, D.C. Galen maintains an active interest in social media behavior, civic tech and, more broadly, the social and policy implications of technology.

Session 2

Meredith Hitchcock (MIMS 2015)

Meredith Hitchcock is a UX researcher who focuses on technology for social impact. She currently leads product research for Airbnb's humanitarian Open Homes program. Meredith was the co-founder and COO of the pre-arrest diversion startup RideAlong, which she sold in 2018. At RideAlong, Meredith built software to provide first responders with real-time information so they could more safely interact with people experiencing mental illness and divert them away from jails and ERs. Previously, Meredith was the UX Lead at the criminal justice reform startup Promise, a Safety & Justice design fellow at Code for America, and spent 5+ years at Google. Meredith holds a master’s degree in Information Management and Systems from UC Berkeley’s School of Information.

Ricky Holtz (MIMS 2016)

Ricky is a MIMS 2016 graduate and currently works at Twilio as a developer educator. During his time at the I School, Ricky focused on product design and front-end development, and worked to bring those interests together to understand and create high-quality experiences for other software engineers. When he's not writing docs and/or code, he spends his time playing French horn in ensembles around the Bay Area, learning foreign languages, and trying to improve his (admittedly mediocre) marathon time.

Dhawal Mujumdar (MIMS 2011)

Dhawal Mujumdar is co-founder of Polymorph Labs, an advertising startup acquired by Walmart Media Group. Dhawal is a MIMS 2011 alum, and Polymorph, previously known as AdsNative, was inspired by MIMS Final Project Picatcha.

Sumeet Solanki (MIMS 2002)

Sumeet is a product management professional with a diverse set of experiences. His most recent adventures have been at McAfee, HPE, and Yahoo in Silicon Valley. He enjoys creating delightful products for consumers and businesses, using emerging technologies. He is grateful to the I School for launching a career beyond expectations. He is glad that his parents (Subhash & Jyotsna — ‘Sujo’) and his sister Shweta encouraged joining UC Berkeley. He fondly remembers his undergraduate computer engineering teachers from Mumbai, for supporting an interdisciplinary graduate education. He and his spouse D’laila pursue spiritual interests, while being SF Bay Area residents in Santa Clara.