About Me

I am a teaching faculty member in Computer Science at Columbia University, where I teach courses on software quality, introductory programming, and software development.

My current academic interests include student mental health; diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in Computer Science; software engineering education; and software testing.

I previously served as a member of the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and at Bryn Mawr College, where I earned teaching awards in 2019 and 2023, respectively. I was also a visiting faculty member at Swarthmore College.

Prior to embarking on my career in academia, I completed a PhD in Computer Science at Columbia University, where my research focused on software testing. Before that, I worked as a professional software developer in Boston, San Francisco, and London after earning a BS in Computer Engineering from Boston University.

Somewhere along the way, I also spent two years teaching English in Seoul, but that's not really part of the narrative hahaha...

You can find out more in my CV and on my LinkedIn page!

News

Some recent highlights:

6/8/26: Congratulations to my former student Juno Bartsch on the publication of our paper on the experiences of minoritized students in CS courses at small liberal arts colleges. It took a long time to get this work published but I'm so glad that these students' stories are being told!

2/13/26: I'm excited to have the opportunity to present at next month's GenAI in CS Education workshop about how we incorporated GenAI into our object-oriented design course last semester. Huge shoutout to the fabulous Yara Shobut from Swarthmore College for helping create assignments and analyze the data we collected.

7/9/25: Fifteen years after completing my PhD at Columbia, I am super excited to return as a faculty member! It is an honor and a privilege to now be able to teach and work alongside the instructors, mentors, and friends who helped make my time as a graduate student so formative for me.

Research, Publications, and Presentations

Although I spend most of my time teaching and advising students, I also contribute to the field of computer science education through publications and participating in panels and other events at conferences. Here are my publications and other activities in those areas:

Computer Science Student Mental Health

1. "Understanding Intersectional Experiences of Computer Science Students Living with Mental Health Conditions"
   Birds of a Feather session with M. Prasetio and A. Yuksel
   56th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Pittsburgh PA, Feb. 27, 2025.

2. "Computer Science Faculty Perspectives on Undergraduate Student Mental Health"
   Poster with V. Nguyen, A. Yuksel, and S. Nandela
   56th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Pittsburgh PA, Feb. 2025.

3. "Intersectional Identities of Asian Americans Living with Mental Health Conditions in Computer Science Education"
   Poster with M. Prasetio
   56th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Pittsburgh PA, Feb. 2025.

4. "Experiences of Undergraduate Computer Science Students Living with Mental Health Conditions"
   J. Ji, C. Murphy, B. Blaser, and J. Akullian
   In Proc. of the 55th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Portland OR, March 2024.

5. "Student Perspectives on Assignment Deadline Policies in Computer Science Courses"
   J. Kim and C. Murphy
   In Proc. of the 55th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Portland OR, March 2024.

6. "Equity and Inclusion Considerations in CS Education for Students Living with Mental Health and Medical Conditions"
   Birds of a Feather session with M. Israel and C. Law
   55th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Portland OR, March 21, 2024.

7. "Mental Health of Computer Science Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic Social Isolation"
   L. M. Soares Passos, C. Murphy, R. Z. Chen, M. Gonçalves de Santana, and G. Soares Passos
   In Brazilian Journal of Computers in Education, vol. 31
   September 2023.

8. "Making CS Education Inclusive for Students with Mental Health Conditions"
   NCWIT re:think magazine, issue #3
   Spring 2023.

9. "Association of Sleep Quality with Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among Computer Science Students"
   L. M. Soares Passos, C. Murphy, R. Z. Chen, M. Gonçalves de Santana, and G. Soares Passos
   In 2023 Anais do Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação (EduComp)
   April 2023.

10. "Experiences of Computer Science Students Living with Mental Health Conditions"
    Presentation at Accessibility and Disability in Computer Science Education pre-symposium event at SIGCSE 2023
    Toronto ON, March 15, 2023.

11. "Equity and Inclusion Considerations in CS Education for Students Living with Mental Health and Medical Conditions"
    Webinar with C. Law, M. Israel, and J. Barrett, sponsored by AccessComputing
    Online, Feb. 17, 2023.

12. "Experiences of Computer Science Students Living with Mental Health Conditions"
    Presentation at Robert Louis Stevenson School Symposium on Computer Science and Student Mental Health
    New York NY, Jan. 27, 2023.

13. "Supporting Computer Science Student Mental Health"
    NSF STEM for All video showcase
    May 2022.

14. "Association of Positive and Negative Feelings with Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among Computer Science Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic"
    L. M. Soares Passos, C. Murphy, R. Z. Chen, M. Gonçalves de Santana, and G. Soares Passos
    In 2022 Anais do Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação (EduComp)
    April 2022 (Honorable Mention Award).

15. "Diversity Includes Disability Includes Mental Illness: Expanding the Scope of DEI Efforts in Computer Science"
    Birds of a Feather session with J. Akullian, A. Blank, B. Blaser, E. Garza, and K. Walther
    53rd ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
    Providence RI, March 3, 2022.

16. "Supporting Computer Science Student Mental Health"
    Discussion session
    SIGCSE 2022 Affiliated Event by the SIGCSE Committee on Computing Education in Liberal Arts Colleges
    Providence RI, March 2, 2022.

17. "Fostering Inclusive Spaces for STEM Students Living with Mental Illness"
    Teach-In with M. Luna-Torrado and P. O'Keefe
    Bryn Mawr College, Nov. 10, 2021.

18. "Diversity Includes Disability Includes Mental Illness: Expanding the Scope of DEI Efforts in Computer Science"
    Birds of a Feather session with A. Blank, E. Garza, and K. Walther
    2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing
    Online, Sept. 16, 2021.

19. "Conversations with Faculty about Student Mental Health"
    Panel with J. Akullian, A. Blank, S. Russell, and K. Walther
    2021 CMD-IT/ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing
    Online, Sept. 16, 2021.

20. "Addressing Sources of Stress and Distress among Undergraduate Computer Science Students"
    K. Manley, L. Arain, and C. Murphy
    In Proc. of the 17th International Conference on Frontiers in Education: Computer Science and Computer Engineering
    Las Vegas NV, July 2021.

21. "Supporting Computer Science Student Mental Health through Unprecedented Times"
    Birds of a Feather session with J. Akullian, A. Blank, and B. Blaser
    52nd ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
    Online, March 15, 2021.

22. "The Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among Brazilian Computer Science Students"
    L. M. Soares Passos, C. Murphy, R. Z. Chen, M. Gonçalves de Santana, and G. Soares Passos
    In Proc. of the 51st ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
    Portland OR, March 2020.

23. "Computer Science Students and Mental Health Resources"
    Blog post hosted by Open Sourcing Mental Health
    Posted Jan. 28, 2020.

24. "Supporting Students Living With Mental Illness"
    Birds of a Feather session with L. DuHadway and M. Hanson
    50th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
    Minneapolis MN, Feb. 28, 2019.

25. "We’re All in This Together: CS students, the tech industry, and mental health"
    Birds of a Feather session with J. Akullian
    49th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
    Baltimore MD, Feb. 22, 2018.

Diversity & Inclusion in Computer Science

1. "'Like Navigating A Dark Labyrinth': Experiences of Minoritized Computer Science Students at Small Liberal Arts Colleges"
   J. Bartsch, C. Murphy, B. Edmison
   In Proc. of the 2026 Conference on Research on Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)
   June 2026.

2. "The Power of Data-Driven Advocacy"
   Presentation with Stephanie Tang and Lucia Huo
   2021 AnitaB.org Grace Hopper Celebration (vGHC'21)
   Sept. 2021.

3. "Incorporating Readings on Diversity and Inclusion into a Traditional Software Engineering Course"
   C. Murphy, A. Mushakevich, and Y. Park
   In Proc. of the 6th Annual IEEE STCBP Conference on Research on Equity & Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)
   May 2021.

4. "Incorporating Diversity-Related Topics into a Traditional CS Course"
   Birds of a Feather session with A. Mushakevich and C. Ryan
   2019 ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing
   San Diego CA, Sept. 19, 2019.

5. "Bridging the Diversity Gap in Computer Science with a Course on Open Source Software"
   J. Weng and C. Murphy
   In Proc. of the 3rd Annual IEEE STCBP Conference on Research on Equity & Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)
   Baltimore MD, Feb. 2018.

6. "Addressing Diversity & Inclusion Issues in Computer Science through Contributions to Free and Open Source Software"
   Birds of a Feather session with J. Weng, N. Veilleux, and J. Pearce
   2017 ACM Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing
   Atlanta GA, Sept. 21, 2017.

7. "Lessons Learned from a PLTL-CS Program"
   C. Murphy, R. Powell, K. Parton, A. Cannon
   In Proc. of the 42nd ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Dallas TX, March 2011, pp. 207-212.
   

Software Engineering Education

1. "Students Critically Assessing Software Artifacts in an OO Design Course"
   Presentation of work done with Y. Shobut
   GenAI in CS Education Workshop: Practice and Research (AICSEPAR)
   San Diego CA, March 2026.

2. "Experience of Teaching a Course on Software Engineering Principles Without a Project"
   P. McBurney, C. Murphy
   In Proc. of the 52nd ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   March 2021, pp. 122-128.

3. "A Two-Course Sequence of Real Projects for Real Customers"
   C. Murphy, S. Sheth, S. Morton
   In Proc. of the 48th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Seattle WA, March 2017, pp. 417-422 (Exemplary Paper Award).

4. "A Course on Programming and Problem Solving"
   S. Sheth, C. Murphy, K. Ross, D. Shasha
   In Proc. of the 47th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Memphis TN, March 2016, pp. 323-328.

5. "Motivating Students with 'Real Projects for Real Customers'"
   C. Murphy
   In University of Pennsylvania Almanac
   Vol. 62, No. 11, Oct. 2015, p. 12.

6. "Retina: Helping Students and Instructors Based on Observed Programming Activities"
   C. Murphy, G. Kaiser, K. Loveland, S. Hasan
   In Proc. of the 40th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Chattanooga TN, March 2009, pp. 178-182.

7. "A Distance Learning Approach to Teaching eXtreme Programming"
   C. Murphy, D. Phung, G. Kaiser
   In Proc. of the 13th Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE)
   Madrid, Spain, June 2008, pp. 199-203.

8. "Backstop: A Tool for Debugging Runtime Errors"
   C. Murphy, E. Kim, G. Kaiser, A. Cannon
   In Proc. of the 39th ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
   Portland OR, March 2008, pp. 173-177.

Software Testing

As a graduate student at Columbia University, I investigated software testing techniques for programs that do not have a "test oracle," i.e. for which it is difficult to know in advance what the correct output should be. I am no longer actively conducting research in this area, but a full list of publications is available in my CV.

Current and Upcoming Courses

In Summer 2026 I am teaching COMS 3107 Clean Object-Oriented Design, as well as a COMS 4995 Topics course on Open Source Software Development.

In Fall 2026 I will be teaching COMS 3107 Clean Object-Oriented Design and ENGI 1006 Intro to Computing for Engineers and Applied Scientists.

I also created an online course on Computational Thinking for Problem Solving with Susan Davidson that was launched on Coursera in October 2018.

A full list of the courses I've taught is available in my CV.