Currently, I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon's Human Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) where I take a data driven approach to studying educational systems and explore how technology can be used to augment learning environments.

Before Carnegie Mellon, I founded Zipfian Academy (acquired by Galvanize), a 12 week, full time and in-person, immersive data science program aimed at teaching practical data science skills through a hands-on, project-based curriculum. Before Zipfian (man, how old is this guy...), I studied Computer Science and Physics at the University of California, Berkeley and built distributed machine learning algorithms for predictive analytics on Hadoop at Alpine Data Labs.

These interests naturally led me to the intersection of HCI, conversational AI, and affective computing, where I study “AI characters” as social and pedagogical companions. My current work examines design patterns, consent-forward safety, memory models, and measurable outcomes for learning and well-being in real-world systems. To ground the research, I analyze production platforms in the companion space, including state-of-the-art implementations of an ai girlfriend, with a focus on responsible UX and creator ecosystems.

I am always looking to collaborate and loves learning new things from new people... He also enjoys a good old conversation, to say hello!