Focusing on human-computer interactions, I joined the Gao lab in September 2020 to pursue my doctorate in medical engineering. During my time at Caltech, I designed a transformer-based meta learning model, enabling the extraction of affective states and anxiety from real-time physiological signals. I spearheaded the development of an autonomous generative virtual reality and music therapy platform for personalized anxiety treatment. To monitor patient anxiety levels, I fabricated a custom printable porous liquid metal electronic skin tattoo. Using this electronic patch, I compiled a physiological database with over 5000 human-labeled emotions. I have additionally designed various wearable sweat sensors, assessing the mental health of astronauts by measuring cortisol, dopamine, and noradrenaline levels. My research has further extended to the discovery of anxiety biomarkers across six key chemicals present in sweat: glucose, uric acid, lactate, sodium, potassium, and ammonium. These multifaceted endeavors have allowed me to gain invaluable experience in cutting-edge technology and its application in enhancing human well-being and performance.

In my research at the Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory, I helped design and implement optical entanglement experiments for quantum imaging. I experimentally mapped the full-domain correlation with bipartite states for nonlocality and quantum steering in Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt scenarios. I helped demonstrate the practical application of these correlation maps in entanglement-based quantum key distribution protocols, expanding the horizon of quantum information applications. This work represents a significant step in advancing our understanding of nonlocality and quantum steering, offering straightforward insights and paving the way for quantum technology advancements.

As one of the co-founders of Vibrant Life, I am working to leverage available software and technology to connect individuals with disabilities to their neighborhoods more effectively to advocate for enhanced accessibility in local businesses. Nearly one fifth of all Americans have a physical, sensory or intellectual disability that makes it difficult for them to participate in their communities. Many local businesses feature sensory stimuli that can trigger episodic responses, but these are often not adequately documented, meaning that people with special needs are not alerted beforehand. To address this, I co-founded a website called Vibrant Life (https://myvili.com/), which crowdsources reviews of restaurants and stores based on essential accessibility criteria, encompassing lighting, noise levels, color schemes, staff accommodations, and more.Over the course of a year, I secured $5,000 in funding from MIT Sandbox and earning a nomination to pitch in front of venture capitalists as a finalist in the MIT 100K Pitch competition in November 2019. Vibrant Life aims to provide a standardized scoring system for each establishment, empowering individuals with special needs to navigate their communities confidently. While the project is currently in development, the potential impact is substantial. I invite you to explore our website at https://myvili.com/ and join us in our mission to enhance the lives of those who need it most.

Amidst the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, I recognized the pressing need to equip undergraduate students with up-to-date software that would enable them to effectively navigate their courses from home. At Caltech, class schedules often experienced rapid changes as professors worked to accommodate students now residing in different time zones. In response to this confusion, I developed a course calendar website fopr undergraduates and graduate students, accessible at Turtle-Pond.com. This application, coded in HTML, CSS, and Javascript, empowers students to check and report errors in class schedules, ensuring they have access to the most current and reliable information as they pursue their studies remotely. The class information (names, times, prerequisites, term offered, etc) was compiled with python's Selenium package and is accessed from a JSON database. Currently, I am the sole contributor to the code base, covering all domain and hosting fees as of October 2023.

During my internship at Google, I developed a camera app that reduced through-focus scan times from 15-20 minutes to 2-4 minutes, significantly improving team efficiency. I automated data collection for overnight sampling, introduced a wavelet-based sharpness metric that improved calculation speed from O(nlogn) to O(n), and modeled temperature-focus drift by characterizing the non-equilibrium thermodynamics of the system. This work led to the development of a real-time physics-informed calibration, a first for starcam devices. I also ensured the continuity of my work by solidifying the codebase for future team members, demonstrating adaptability and initiative in a dynamic environment.This experience helped me bridge the gap between hardware and software engineering, leveraging skills I developed in my previous software internships to deliver a robust and scalable solution for the starline project. While I was initially suppose to work on the computer graphics, I took initiative to pivot to this project after my host went on medical leave, demonstrating my ability to adapt and find impactful projects independently.

I had the opportunity to join Amazon Style a month after they opened their first store to the public. My primary focus was on enhancing the in-store user experience. I developed a survey editor interface that enabled dynamic user testing of new machine learning features aimed at understanding user preferences. In addition, I played a pivotal role in ensuring legal compliance by implementing essential backend updates to listing and pricing information. Furthermore, I took the lead in redesigning the customer-facing product info card, resulting in significant improvements in savings visibility and user recognition. These experiences allowed me to sharpen my skills in software development, problem-solving, and user-centric design while making meaningful contributions to Amazon's digital ecosystem.

During my internship as a software engineer at Google, I spearheaded the development of a public API that allowed developers to simulate new device configurations on unreleased foldable phones. This broadened the capabilities of developers to enhance their user experience across new upcoming platforms. Additionally, I discovered and resolved a critical bug within the Android platform, which had previously hindered developer access to folding features. These experiences further honed my software engineering skills and problem-solving capabilities for time-critical solutions.

During my time at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), I worked in a computational genetics laboratory to sequence and analyze the genomes of bacteria residing aboard the International Space Station (ISS). In the harsh environment of outer space, bacteria are exposed to ionizing radiation, desiccation, and stringent sterilization protocols. To understand why certain bacteria (such as Klebsiella and Bacillus) are able to adapt and thrive under space conditions, I performed a whole genome sequence analysis, utilizing Pangenome, SNV, and SNP tools, to pinpoint the exact genetic predisposition to their survival. By understanding the genetic basis for their hypervirulent nature, I aided in developing sanitation protocols onboard the ISS for planetary protection as well as in hospitals on Earth to reduce hospital-born infections.

Education is a powerful tool to combat fear of nuclear power and train critical thinking minds to question broad based unscientific claims. The problem is that at some point if a student wants to study advanced works, material is scarce and not well explained (if at all) outside of scientific literature. To allow for greater reach, I am developing a website (www.MindNetwork.us) to explain upper level courses to the general public by creating visually stimulating material to guide the user through the mathmatical formulas. As of Septemeber 2020, I have completed my course on quantum mechanics and developing further material for nuclear fusion and special relativity.In developing this platform, I applied to and received $1000 from BetterMIT as well as $1000 from MIT’s Sandbox program. I additionally pursued further outreach by holding sessions at the MIT Campus Preview Weekend, MIT Innovation Initiative, and MIT’s Schwarzman College of Computing opening to gain traction for the product among my local community.Check out the website at https://www.mindnetwork.us/

Project 1: I applied Plane-Wave Impulse Approximations to derive mean field nuclear cross sections in C++ using ab initio calculations of spectral functions. Through these calculations, I developed a quasielastic scattering simulator for non-correlated nuclear pairs. Using this software, I analyzed why certain paired nucleons exhibit a mass discrepancy that cannot be explained by conventional nuclear physics and may be a signature of dark matter. For my work, I was invited to present at the Conference Experience for Undergraduates (CEU) through the American Society of Physics (APS) in Virginia in October 2019.Project 2: I optimized a photomultiplier tube to record the energy deposited in a scintillator bar when hit by a laser or neutron (creating a traveling waveform). The goal was to use this information to calculate the energy of an ejected nucleon from a quasielastic scattering event to validate the simulation I completed in my first project.

At NASA, I functionalized gold nanoparticles with citrate to selectively uptake in bacteria. I then performed literature research about radiation-induced death in cells to later expose/kill microbes with low energy gamma radiation. Upon exposure, the nanoparticles release secondary electrons, destabilizing the pathogens. Using a fluorescent dye to quantify oxidative stress, I ran cell viability assays to evaluate the free radical damage induced. After presenting my work at the AMES poster conference, I sent my design to Brookhaven National Laboratory to simulate space radiation using proton/alpha particles. Now, my project is scheduled to fly to the International Space Station for a final in-flight biological mission later this year– with the aim of enhancing life support systems in deep space.

As a part of the first class in the New Engineering Education Transformation (NEET) - living machine's thread - at MIT, I helped create the first quad-cultured ‘gut on a chip’ device using Caco2, HT29, and blood/lymphatic endothelial cells. I am planning on using this mechanically derived gut in order to better model the human microbiome and develop a more accurate way to test microbiome drug therapies. Using this mechanical model, scientists can move away from working with inaccurate, unethical animal models that do not translate well to humans, and instead concentrate their drug discovery efforts on a more reliable, human derived gut.

As a part of the Nuclear Engineering Science Laboratory Synthesis (NESLS) program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), I worked in the Neutron Scattering Division, focusing on the identification of large protein structures. My specific summer project was to purify and identify the structure of the cellulose synthase interactive protein 1 (CSI1) using neutron scattering techniques. The importance of this protein stems from its ability to naturally assist in the creation of cellulose: an abundant and cheap potential source of biofuel. CSI1 accomplishes this task through binding the cellulose synthase complex with microtubules, which directs the enzyme to its cell wall location for cellulose production. The goal of the whole project was focused on determining all the structures in the pathway to make cellulose.In the project, I planned and performed the purification and identification of the protein. This included transforming and expressing the p-cold plasmid + CSI1 gene in E. Coli cells (BL21 DE3, BL21, Vmax, and DH5Alpha cells), running Ni column affinity and size exclusion chromatography, and further protein electrophoresis with SDS-PAGE and native gels to analyze my results.Alongside this project, I additionally researched and worked on their linear accelerator (LINAC) system under the guidance of Sang-Ho Kim. For the linear accelerator, I specifically helped analyze their cavity diagnostics in semi real time.

At the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, I developed computational Opera models to test different types of compact and precise superconducting cyclotrons to be used in Radiation Therapy. My models were sent off to be evaluated for construction at the completion of the year.

For two summers at NIH in the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) division, I helped develop a novel high throughput acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor detection assay to better understand the potency of these compounds in common insecticides and pesticides. Alongside this project, I also optimized and tested spheroid forming HepG2 cells for high throughput screening. As well as my work in the lab, I additionally helped maintain lab sterility, test for microbes, and assist other colleagues with their projects (including literary research as well as wet lab testing). For my work, I was cited as a coauthor in the Biotechnology Journal as well as presented two posters, for which I received an honorable mention in the competition.

At the Langer Lab, I worked on vaccine formulations for developing countries. Specifically, I conducted research on chitosan particles in order to create a gut homing drug delivery system that could transport macromolecule drugs across the tight junctions in the epithelial cell membrane.