Featured Student: Yash Mali

1. What is your field of study and when will you graduate/did you graduate?

I studied Computer Science and graduated by the end of summer 2026.

2. What made you decide to enroll in Co-op?

I found out about Co-op online when applying to UBC, and knew from the beginning of my degree that I would want to do it. Since I didn’t know what field within Computer Science I wanted to work in long term, Co-op let me try out different jobs.

3. Which positions did you work while in the Co-op program?

All three of my work terms were in Vancouver: for my first Co-op term, I worked at the Frostad research group at UBC doing automation in chemical engineering in food science. I then worked at LuxBio - a Vancouver-based biotech startup, on automation and applying AI assisted protein folding tools. My final Co-op was with the Nunez research group working on medical AI research and tools. 
 

4. You’ve done undergraduate research and extracurricular activities involving AI. Can you tell us more about how these experiences affected your Co-op job search?

I first became interested in AI when I took a machine learning course at UBC. I was looking at research positions where you get to pick what you want to do and explore things that don’t yet exist. I got pretty lucky as my interest in AI and the “AI Boom” coincided - that was quite helpful for the job search. However, what was most helpful was getting out there, meeting people and asking about open positions.

I got pretty lucky as my interest in AI and the “AI Boom” coincided - that was quite helpful for the job search. However, what was most helpful was getting out there, meeting people and asking about open positions.

5. Can you share your favourite experience from your Co-op placement(s)?

My favourite experience was at my first Co-op at Frostad research group where I spent most of the day assisting machining on an instrument we were working on. Most of my work involved doing software and machine learning, but on that particular day we got to build something that involved going to the machine shop and building a part from a solid metal block. I liked it because it was very different from what I usually did in my courses and my job and I got to learn something completely new.

6.    What was your best achievement in Co-op?

I’d say that publishing academic papers was always rewarding and learning from the teaching lab members was nice too. When you’re working on a project, you’re not sure at first where it’s going - but when you write a paper, submit it, and get good reviews, it solidifies the work that you did for the past 6-12 months. The papers I worked on were usually done as part of a big team, which involved a lot of collaboration and learning from other members.

7.    What about the best day you had in your Co-op city (either in Vancouver or beyond)?

Summer in Vancouver is quite nice and biking around the city has always been fun. During my first Co-op job at UBC, our team had a lunch at Nitobe Garden with lab members. It was the first time I’ve been there so it was quite memorable.

8.    What did you feel most challenged by and how did you overcome it?

Before I started my first job in research, I was mostly doing courses with assignments and working toward a correct answer. But when I began my research through Co-op, there was no correct answer – you pick the problem and you work from there. Learning the ropes of research was difficult but with enough time and patience, things started to come more naturally. 

Learning the ropes of research was difficult but with enough time and patience, things started to come more naturally.

9.    As an international student, were there any resources that you found especially beneficial?

As an international student, there’s a certain amount of planning you need to do, but International Student Advising office at UBC was always helpful. I also think that I got pretty lucky in the sense that I only applied for 20-30 jobs in total and got 3 co-op job offers. In addition to submitting job applications, I emailed  people and asked them  if they have any positions available or whether it was possible to apply for research grants. My second Co-op job I found through networking. Overall, it wasn’t a difficult experience of applying for hundreds of jobs. It’s also worth noting that there’s research funding through WLIURA that supplements professors when hiring international undergraduate research students during Summer Session and it’s worth emailing and asking about it.

10.    Managing the balance between academics, co-op responsibilities and a personal life can be hard – what are your self care practices and/or how do you manage stress?

I tried to pick positions where I enjoy doing most parts of the job every day. I did take a class alongside my Co-op that was also research-based, and wasn’t too much effort because it wasn’t a course with many deadlines. A tip I would give other students thinking about taking a course during their Co-op term is to take the commute to work into an account, and maybe do it in the 2nd Co-op term or later when you get used to the workload of a full-time job.

11.    In your opinion, how did Co-op help your personal and professional development?

Co-op has helped me understand that I like research and develop my expertise as a researcher. I also learned how to communicate my research well to colleagues, at conferences and workshops. It definitely gave me the time to understand what I want to do in the future and prepare me for future opportunities. 

12.    Which support from the Co-op program (workshops, practice interviews, etc.) did you find most helpful? Can you talk about the direct impact on your career and/or personal growth?

Talking to my Co-op Coordinator about questions about jobs and applying was always helpful. I also asked for a mock interview preparation session and received good feedback on what to say during job interviews.

13.    What advice would you offer to future Co-op students?

Go to events on campus, meet people instead of just focusing on courses. A friend of mine ran a tech club that hosted a big event where I got to go to and meet people potentially hiring students. I joined a design team that seemed interesting and it helped me meet people who were also interested in machine learning and engineering. I would encourage students to try new things. Based on experiences in my second Co-op at LuxBio, I tried to find design teams that did biotech work and explored that area, which I hadn’t done previously as I was mainly focusing on the software side of things.

Go to events on campus, meet people instead of just focusing on courses. A friend of mine ran a tech club that hosted a big event where I got to go to and meet people potentially hiring students. I joined a design team that seemed interesting and it helped me meet people who were also interested in machine learning and engineering. I would encourage students to try new things.

14.    What are you looking forward to after graduation?

Grad school! I’ll be pursuing graduate research at UBC in Electrical and Computer Engineering, trying to better understand AI models.