Celebrating Diversity - Leen-Kiat Soh

  • Leen-Kiat Soh

Celebrating Diversity

May: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

In the College of Engineering, all are welcome. To better share the stories of how our faculty, staff, students and alumni are diverse in their many varying forms, we are celebrating various heritage and other nationally recognized months. This recognition will include stories about those in our greater engineering community, as well as sharing events and other opportunities.


Leen-Kiat Soh

Professor of Computer Science and Engineering

Q: Describe a bit about your personal and/or professional background.

A: I received my B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kansas. I joined UNL in the fall of 2001. I was born and raised in Malaysia. My hometown is Johor Bahru, in the state of Johor. My ancestors came from the Fujian province of China. I speak Mandarin, Malay, and English. I also speak a Chinese dialect of "Hokkien."

Q: What is your role in the College of Engineering – and what do you enjoy (love!) about what you are doing?

A: I am a professor in the College of Engineering. My responsibilities include carrying out research, teaching and mentoring, and serving my department and the college on different efforts. I enjoy the open-ended and discovery aspects in research, investigating challenging problems and developing novel solutions. I enjoy teaching and improving student learning and performance, mentoring them and sharing with them my experiences, and helping them succeed. I have served on numerous committees at various levels and enjoy developing and implementing changes that improves how we meet the mission of the UNL.

Q: Why is it important to celebrate one’s heritage? Why is it meaningful to you and your family?

A: Is Celebrating one's heritage is important because I get to celebrate my culture, how I was raised, the path that I have taken to today. It is meaningful to me and my family so that we get to appreciate each other--sharing and connecting more--and be more appreciative of each other--strengthening our relationships.

Q: What advice can you give students or others considering or pursuing engineering as a career?

A: Be persistent and invest time and effort. Be inquisitive and ask questions. Be mindful and think about your learning and acquiring new knowledge. Be open-minded and appreciate different viewpoints. Be caring and consider the impacts of your work. Seek help if you are doubtful.