About Me
I am a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Santa Barbara and NDSEG Graduate Fellow, specializing in dynamical systems, control theory, and applied mathematics. My research focuses on developing mathematical tools for the modeling, analysis, and control of continuum models of large-scale systems, drawing from the areas of partial differential equations, optimal control, optimal transport, and geometric/variational methods. I have applied these tools to problems in various domains, including swarm robotics, fluid mixing, and coupled-oscillator networks. (See my research page for more.)
I received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Mathematics from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2020. During this time, I worked in the Flight Test Data System Lab under the supervision of Dr. Russell Westphal. I received my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022, working in the Dynamical Systems and Controls Lab under the supervision of Dr. Bassam Bamieh. I started my Ph.D. under Dr. Bamieh in 2022.
I completed industry internships with Panasonic Avionics in 2017 and Tesla in 2021. I also have extensive teaching experience at UCSB, including as instructor of record and as Lead TA for the Mechanical Engineering Department. (See my teaching page for more.)
I am currently seeking tenure-track faculty and postdoctoral research positions in dynamical systems and control or applied mathematics.
In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing, surfing, mountain biking, backpacking, traveling, music, and philosophy.
\[~\]News & Preprints
Aug 2026 I presented a talk at the 27th International Symposium on Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems titled “Wasserstein Gradient Flow Structure in Mean-Field Oscillator Ising Machines” (slides).
Mar 2026 We submitted a new paper, titled “On Distributed Control of Continuum Swarms: Local Controllers as Differential Operators”, to the 65th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (preprint).
Dec 2025: I presented our paper “Incompressible Optimal Transport and Applications in Fluid Mixing” at the 64th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (slides).
Jul 2025: I presented a talk at the 2025 SIAM Conference on Control and Its Applications titled “Tracking Control in the Wasserstein Space” (slides).
May 2025: I received our department’s Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award (news article).
Mar 2025: We submitted a new paper, titled “Incompressible Optimal Transport and Applications in Fluid Mixing”, to the 64th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (preprint).
Dec 2024: I presented our paper “Causal Tracking of Distributions in Wasserstein Space: A Model Predictive Control Scheme” at the 63rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (slides).
Nov 2024: I presented a talk at the 44th Southern California Control Workshop titled “Tracking Control in the Wasserstein Space” (slides).
Oct 2024: I have been working with several other students to set up a new departmental graduate student association, and we just became official.
Sep 2024: This quarter, I will be developing and instructing ME 500, a new TA training course for our department (syllabus).
Aug 2024: I presented a talk at the 26th International Symposium on Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems titled “Optimal Control of Distributions in Wasserstein Space” (slides).
July 2024: We submitted a new paper, titled “Optimal Assignment and Motion Control in Two-class Continuum Swarms”, to the IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems (preprint).
Jun 2024: I received the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship (news article).
Mar 2024: We submitted a new paper, titled “Causal Tracking of Distributions in Wasserstein Space: A Model-Predictive Control Scheme”, to the 63rd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (preprint).
Mar 2024: I passed my candidacy exam and advanced to candidate status.
Dec 2023: I presented our paper “Continuum Swarm Tracking Control: A Geometric Perspective in Wasserstein Space” at the 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (slides). The paper was awarded an Outstanding Student Paper Award at the conference.
Oct 2023: I received our department’s Best Teaching Assistant Award.
Apr 2023: I accepted the position of Lead Teaching Assistant for the UCSB Mechanical Engineering Department. In this role, I will be helping develop and administer a new TA training program for our graduate students.
Mar 2023: We submitted a new paper, titled “Continuum Swarm Tracking Control: A Geometric Perspective in Wasserstein Space”, to the 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (preprint).
Sep 2022: I received my MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara and will be starting my PhD in the same lab.
July 2022: I presented our paper “Optimal Combined Motion and Assignments with Continuum Models” at the 9th IFAC Conference on Networked Systems (slides,recording). The paper wwas awarded the IFAC Young Author Award at the conference.
Feb 2022: We submitted a new paper, titled “Optimal Combined Motion and Assignments with Continuum Models”, to the 9th IFAC Conference on Networked Systems.