Thesis proposal passed Jan. 2023.

Candidacy Exam: "Learning about spaces without vision: Theory, tools, and the future." [passed Dec. 2021]

Graduated summa cum laude.

Senior Project: "ASSIST (Assistive Sensor Solutions for Independent and Safe Travel)"

Spent three weeks in the beautiful city of Tours, located on the banks of the Loire River in central France. Took an intensive five-days-a-week, three-week French language course while exploring and learning about the culture and history of the city and country.

Advisor: Dr. Brian A. Smith

• Leading research projects within human-computer interaction (HCI) and UX design, focusing on accessibility in video games and digital media, and applying generative AI models to smart cities.
• Designing and prototyping tools for PCs, Android, and iOS within the Unity engine and integrating them into custom-built games and apps for user testing.
• Integrating tools with cloud-based backends to allow for remote control, detailed analytics, and cross-platform communication during remote studies.
• Conducted user studies with over 50 participants, including blind users, and analyzed data from interviews, surveys, and technical logs using qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Mentored 25 students, first-authored 6 publications, and served as lead inventor on a pending patent.

Worked with the Ability team and HCAIX (Human-Centered AI & Experiences) Group at Microsoft Research in Redmond.

Mentor: Dr. Martez Mott

• Designed and prototyped a Python-based system using large language models to improve participant engagement and understanding within virtual meetings.
• Integrated the system with Microsoft Teams and created a React-based dashboard for developers to adjust prompts and other parameters.
• Collaborated with 5 researchers on ideas for system expansion, user studies, and potential future publications.
• Prepared over 30 pages of comprehensive technical documentation and delivered 2 major presentations (including a live demo) showcasing the system's features.

Advisor: Dr. William H. Seiple

• Researched novel mobile- and wearable-based assistive technologies for people with visual impairments.
• Facilitated 3 separate tests of prototypes with over 30 people with visual impairments in order to gather feedback for further improvements.
• Performed over 40 one-on-one interviews with potential users for feedback and suggestions.

Advisor: Dr. Zhigang Zhu

• Developed assistive technologies for people who have difficulties navigating large, complex transportation hubs.
• Built a robust client-server system using Django + PostgreSQL as the cloud-based backend for an Android app that positions users within complex indoor environments.
• Explored and integrated numerous technologies, including Bluetooth beacons, Google Tango, and computer vision techniques, to provide indoor positioning with centimeter-level precision.
• Led a senior design team to develop “ASSIST,” a user-friendly app to assist blind & low vision and autistic users in safely and accurately navigating complex indoor spaces.
• Designed and implemented an optimized touch- and voice-driven UI to initiate navigation in under 30 seconds.
• Collaborated with over 6 institutions and co-authored 5 publications, three as first author.

Based at the Command, Control, and Interoperability Center for Advanced Data Analysis, a DHS Center of Excellence at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Advisor: Dr. Jie Gong

• Served as the only undergraduate team member on a project utilizing Bluetooth beacons and computer vision approaches to provide navigation support and crowd behavior analysis inside large transportation hubs.
• Experimented with various positioning SDKs and methods (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, vision, and geomagnetism) to determine the best method of indoor positioning on an Android device.
• Built and deployed a custom-made, Django-based server component with a robust API onto Heroku and a bridged virtual machine.
• Subsequently awarded a follow-on grant to continue our work during the following year.

Worked in the Division of Liver Diseases of the Department of Medicine.

Advisor: Dr. Yujin Hoshida

• Assisted a post-doctoral fellow with identifying biomarkers and therapeutic targets for chronic liver diseases.
• Performed computer-aided data analysis on large datasets using R, Python, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis.

A full list of my research publications can be found on my Google Scholar page.

Gave an invited talk to the Accessibility NYC meetup group in June 2024 about my PhD work on video games.

• Listed as the lead inventor of a pending patent that resulted from the NavStick project.
• In connection with this patent, an in-progress project within the CEAL Lab is converting NavStick into a plugin for the Unreal Engine. Release is expected soon.

• Participated in a week-long summer school on computational interaction, an emerging subfield in human-computer interaction (HCI), and took part in a 24-hour hackathon at the end.
• Created a system that backed up a text-based autocorrect system with a voice-based override in case the text-based system did not provide the correct autocorrect result. The override would correct the text and change the text model so that future corrections would be affected.
• Attempted to use Flask and Tkinter to create a prototype system that consisted of a touchscreen keyboard with voice capabilities that connected to our custom-made model.
• Won second place via an audience vote.

• Oversaw initial development of a learning management system to simplify school and classroom administration.
• Prototyped apps (web and Android mobile) and managed server (building, hardening, and maintenance).
• Selected as semifinalists into the 2016 Zahn Innovation Center's Tech Innovation Seed Prize and awarded seed funding to develop our idea while participating in a 5-month startup “bootcamp.”
• Managed work associated with venture competitions, including preparing pitches, meeting with mentors, and performing demos.
• Played vital role in major decisions, including allocating future equity among team members and suggesting shifts in focus.

• Built a search engine using Flask over the course of 20 hours to handle client queries on stock information and performance using data from disparate sources.
• Notably used regular expressions to create a pseudo-natural language processor for processing queries.

• 4 semesters: Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, and Spring 2024.
• Served as a TA for a seminar class that covers seminal works in human-computer interaction (HCI).
• Mentored students in giving effective research presentations and completing an original HCI research project.

• 4 semesters: Fall 2020 (Head TA), Fall 2021, Fall 2022 (Head TA), and Fall 2023.
• Served as a TA for User Interface Design — a class that covers the skills, process, and thinking necessary to make computer systems useful and usable to people.
• Mentored students in becoming more familiar with the user-centered design process.

• Led a weekly, required workshop for a total of 40 students taking General Chemistry I.
• Administered worksheets and quizzes to students, and assisted students with any issues they may have had with concepts.
• Participated in weekly sessions for workshop leaders as part of the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Program.

• Assisted four low-income high school students on improving their SAT Math scores and navigating the college application process.
• Planned all weekly lessons, maintained constant contact with students, and coordinated with Site Directors on logistics.

• CHI 2023 LBWs (★ Recognition: Outstanding Review ★)
• DIS 2023
• CSCW 2024
• CHI 2024 Papers
• CHI 2024 LBWs (★ Recognition: Outstanding Review ★)
• CHI PLAY 2024

3 semesters: Fall 2020, Fall 2021, and Fall 2023.

2 semesters: Spring 2020 and Spring 2023.