Hoda started the MS program in Winter 2006, with a background in mathematics and architecture. She became interested in optimization and automated floor-plan layout, a subject which she investigated and developed into her thesis under the guidance of
Brian R Johnson,
Mehlika Inanici and Carrie Dossick.
Her thesis work culminated in the development of
GASP, a program in Matlab which combines a Genetic Algorithm approach to optimization with a Genetic Engineering strategy (defining new genes from successful sub-assemblies) to enhance performance.
After completing her MSA in Winter, 2008, she entered the CAUP PhD program in the Built Environment.