faq
interest in joining our group
PhD applicants: PhD admissions are closed at this time. The next application cycle to start in the 2027-28 school year will open in fall 2026. I primarily admit PhD students through the iSchool. I can co-advise students in the CSE, HCDE, and BIME programs.
Note: I am not replying to individual emails from PhD applicants at this time. If you are attending the same conferences as me, please don't hesitate to start a conversation or set up a meeting then. Currently, I have plans to attend CHIL and ACL in 2026.
At this time, I am looking for students interested in NLP, specifically language modeling and reasoning for clinical, biomedical, and accessibility applications.
Masters/Undergraduate students: Our lab is currently not accepting any new students.
Postdocs: I am not currently recruiting for any postdoctoral positions. If you are interested in collaborating with this lab during your postdoc, please consider applying to the BIME postdoctoral program or the Ai2 Young Investigator program.
Visiting students: Interested students should email to discuss potential opportunities. Please include a description of your research interests, alignment with this lab, CV, any relevant recent publications, funding sources, and your timeframe. If you are an international student, you may need to apply through the UW's VISIT program. Please note there is at least a 12-week lead time for visa applications and a 12-month limit on the total length of PhD visits to the UW through the VISIT program.
requesting letters of recommendation
If you were an undergraduate student in my class, will I write you a letter of recommendation?
I will write you a letter only if I am confident I can write a strong letter that will help your application. This is because a short, thin, or lukewarm letter is more likely to hurt your chances of admission into a program than help them. If you did not work with me outside of class in some manner (e.g., as a TA or participating in research), I would recommend that you ask someone else who knows you better and can speak to your qualities. In other words, I should have some sense of your skills, work ethic, and personality that goes beyond just the grade you received in my class.
I *also* ask that you meet the following criteria:
- You have fully completed a class with me
- You did well in my class
- The class had a research project component where we engaged regularly in small groups or 1:1 to iterate on ideas or analysis
- You give me at least two weeks advance notice, and preferably more
- You will waive your right to read your letter
In addition to all this, it also matters what the letter of recommendation will be used for. If you are applying to Masters programs, meeting the above criteria is generally sufficient. If you are applying to PhD programs, I will write you a letter only if we have worked together in a research capacity.
(partially adapted from Benjamin Mako Hill)
what is a larch?
Larch trees are conifers that turn yellow and lose their needles in the winter. They are native to the high alpine forests of the Eastern Cascades in Washington and are a special sight to behold 