Oleg Zendel

Oleg Zendel

PhD candidate in Computer Science

RMIT University

About

Greetings! I’m currently a Ph.D. candidate in computer science at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, under the esteemed guidance of Profs. J. Shane Culpepper and Falk Scholer. My research journey centers on Query Performance Prediction (QPP) in Information Retrieval (IR), where I’m dedicated to exploring various aspects of QPP to improve its understanding and evaluation. Aside from QPP, I’m intrigued by end-to-end search pipelines and user behavior analysis, seeking ways to make them more effective and user-friendly. Empirical experimentation, statistical analysis, and machine learning models are my tools of choice to delve deeper into these areas.

During my M.Sc. at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, supervised by Prof. Oren Kurland, I explored ways to improve QPP using reference queries.

Beyond academics, I find joy in hiking, biking, and spending time with my family and our beloved dog, Quan. As a volunteer with Guide Dogs Victoria, I’ve been both a puppy raiser and a temporary carer, contributing to a cause close to my heart.

If you share an interest in the fascinating world of Information Retrieval or would like to collaborate on research in IR, feel free to reach out to me via email or social media. I’m always eager to explore exciting opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Interests
  • Information Retrieval
  • Evaluation
  • Data Science
Education
  • Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science, 2024 (Expected)

    RMIT University

  • M.Sc. in Information Management Engineering, 2020

    Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

  • BSc in Industrial Engineering and Management, 2017

    Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

Publications

Experience

Industry and Academic

 
 
 
 
 
Teaching Assistant and Mentor
Case Studies in Data Science - COSC2669 (Graduate), RMIT
Jul 2022 – Oct 2022 Melbourne, Australia

Case Studies in Data Science is part of the Masters in Data Science program.

Responsibilities include:

  • Mentoring multiple teams in their project throughout the course.
  • Marking weekly assessments, and final projects and presentations.
 
 
 
 
 
Teaching Assistant
Practical Data Science with Python - COSC2670 (Graduate & Undergraduate), RMIT
Jul 2022 – Oct 2022 Melbourne, Australia

Practical Data Science with Python is designed for advanced undergraduate students and first-year Master students in the program Master of Data Science.

Responsibilities include:

  • Composing assignments and marking criteria
  • Composing weekly quizzes
 
 
 
 
 
Teaching Assistant
Practical Data Science with Python - COSC2670 (Graduate & Undergraduate), RMIT
Jul 2021 – Oct 2021 Melbourne, Australia

Practical Data Science with Python is designed for advanced undergraduate students and first-year Master students in the program Master of Data Science.

Responsibilities include:

  • Teaching
  • Assignments marking
 
 
 
 
 
Subject-Matter Expert (SME) for PDS Online course
Aug 2021 – Dec 2021 Melbourne, Australia
Acting as SME on the redevelopment of the online course Practical Data Science with Python. Updating and adding content and course materials.
 
 
 
 
 
Research Intern
Oct 2019 – Jan 2020 Haifa, Israel
During the internship we developed a prediction model to predict ads closure based on user’s actions in the Yahoo email application. The result was published as a short paper at CIKM 2020, and later awarded the best Data Science paper award at TechPulse 2020.
 
 
 
 
 
Teaching Assistant
Apr 2018 – Sep 2019 Haifa, Israel

The course covers intro to various topics such as graph theory, social networks, game theory, and blockchain; with practical applications in Python.

Responsibilities include:

  • Teaching
  • Assignments writing and marking
  • Exam marking

Service

Program Committee Member

I have served as a PC member for the following conferences and workshops:

Peer Reviewing

I have served as a reviewer for the following journals: