Education
University of Notre Dame
Graduated May 2023
Bachelor of Science: Computer Science
GPA: 3.97
University of Southern California
Advisor: Kristina Lerman
PhD: Computer Science
Honors and Awards
Faculty Choice Senior Award
iTREDS Scholar
Tau Beta Pi Member
Magna Cum Laude
Research Experience
Information Sciences Institute
August 2023 - Present
PI: Kristina Lerman
Research Assistant
- Leading a project to analyze the temporal evolution of war bloggers' narratives in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, focusing on strategies that foster outgroup subhumanization and ingroup victimization, utilizing network-based methods and training a large language model for precise narrative classification.
- Leading a project applying ecological models to understand competitive dynamics within narratives and their propagation among users in a network, enhancing understanding of information spread.
Weninger Lab
June 2022 - May 2023
PI: Tim Weninger
Research Assistant
- Refined the MEWS (Misinformation Early Warning System) image-analysis pipeline by designing data crawlers for real-time social media photo collection and clustering, and overhauled the frontend to showcase an interactive image-map that delineates image clusters based on similarity and manipulation risk.
- Applied Hawkes process and other mathematical models to analyze content popularity dynamics and contributed to the enhancement of clustering algorithms in collaboration with domain experts.
- Initiated and led project curating and analyzing first widely available dataset for “Truth Social” to understand the dynamics of misinformation on the platform. Accepted into ICWSM 2023.
DIAL Lab
August 2021 - May 2023
PI: Nitesh Chawla
Research Assistant
- Curated new COVID-19 dataset of 66 dynamic mobility graphs (each containing over 3000 nodes and an average of 540k edges) for GNN-based forecasting tasks.
- Collaborated with team members to define and implement novel “Hierarchical Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Network” model able to outperform both classical and GNN-based pandemic-forecasting tools; recognized as second author in accompanying paper.
- Analyzed various approaches to increasing inductive learning for large graphs; implementing novel architectures to bolster representativeness and avoid over-smoothing on large graphs.
Employment
Aptima, Inc.
August 2023 - Present
Research Intern
- Led the development of a novel approach for modeling and analyzing the evolution of information narratives in pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian communities post-2022 Ukraine invasion, through comparative discourse analysis on Telegram, uncovering key themes, mechanisms, and influences shaping narrative dynamics. Paper submitted to ICWSM 2024.
- Developed novel method extending agglomerative clustering for temporal text clustering, enabling dynamic analysis of narrative evolution across various contexts and applications.
- Key contributor in a cross-platform research project analyzing discourse evolution in Ukrainian and Russian communities on Twitter, VK, and Telegram regarding the Russo-Ukrainian War, employing network-based metrics and evaluating major talking points and narrative dynamics over time.
Other Projects
Representation Lab
August 2021 - May 2023
Research Assistant
- Collaborated with political scientists to redesign European-based Political Data Yearbook Interactive.
- Designed and implemented new framework in accordance with FAIR (data) Principles to provide consistent, accessible data on elections across 37 countries spanning multiple decades.
- Designed APIs and frontend to allow users to easily interact with, visualize, and upload election results across countries.
Campfire Cannabis LLC
May 2022 - August 2023
Co-Founder
- Engineered a consumer-focused platform centralizing cannabis menus, reviews, and statistics across Ohio, enhancing user engagement and decision-making.
- Developed a comprehensive brand-facing interface offering in-depth data analysis and market insights, enabling businesses to strategize effectively.
- Designed and implemented a Django RESTful framework, overseeing full-stack development to create a seamless user experience on our website.
- Automated the aggregation of menu data from over 90% of the market through advanced web scrapers, followed by data cleaning with trained language models.
- Implemented dynamic data analysis reporting tools, providing up-to-date market insights and trends to support strategic decision-making.
- Successfully launched the platform to a select user base, securing immediate collaboration with top dispensaries and cultivators for backend integration.
- Collaborated closely with cultivators, processors, and dispensaries to refine product offerings, ensuring the platform met the diverse needs of the industry.
Technical Skills
Languages: Python, R, C, C#, C++, Java, Kotlin, JavaScript, SQL
Skills and Interests: Network Science, Clustering Methods, Graph Neural Networks, Large Language Models, Knowledge Graphs