drC

drC at Georgia Tech (1975)

My journey into the mechanics of intelligence and consciousness began during a summer internship at Modesto State Hospital in California. Observing the limitations of traditional psychology in treating severely disturbed patients sparked a four-decade quest to understand how the mind truly functions—and how to better support its complexities.

This pursuit evolved into a rigorous academic path, from psychology at Fordham to the neuroscience labs at Emory. There, I transitioned from dissecting biological brains to discovering the mathematical elegance of McCulloch-Pitts neurons. The arrival of the PDP-8 computer in our lab served as a catalyst; I recognized the same neural patterns I was studying in biological systems mirrored in early computational architecture.

Following a 31-year tenure as a Professor of Computer Science at SMU (where I was known as "Dr. C"), I am now at UC Berkeley, focusing on the frontier of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). I bring a unique "brain-to-bits" perspective to the classroom, helping students bridge the gap between biological intelligence and modern technology.

My teaching philosophy is guided by the wisdom of avant-garde composer John Cage:

"Nothing is a mistake.
There is no win and no fail,
only MAKE!"

Whether you're a computer science student concerned about the utility of your computer science degree, a programmer watching AI automate your work or a professional wondering if your career will survive the next five years, the path forward isn't about perfection—it's about understanding AI and using that knowledge to work with an AI as your assistant, not as Darth Vader. pulling you into the Death-Star. The key is to keep learning by doing, adapting with curiosity rather than fear and by adopting ‘MAKE’ as part of who you are.

I've made several transition from in my career - from psychology to neuroscience and then to CS and AI and now from traditional academia to leveraging AI across all domains. The key is finding connections and analogies that enable understanding and help people thrive rather than barely survive technological disruption.

Ready to explore what's next for your career? Reach out to Dr. C for coffee conversations, one-on-one career planning, collaborative projects, or to suggest topics for instructional videos and podcasts. Let's figure out how to make this AI transformation work for you.