Hi there! My name is Jesse. I am a PhD student in Computer Science at University of Texas - San Antonio. I joined the Secure AI Autonomy Lab (SAAL) in 2024, Where I have been advised by Dr Peyman Najafirad.

My research interests lie in the intersection of neural networks and geospatial automation. Specifically, I am exploring the applications of neural models and digital twins to address challenges in GeoAI, including areas such as twin cities, remote sensing, pattern recognition, vision and language models.

Education

PhD in Computer Science and Machine Learning, 2024-, University of Texas - San Antonio
MS in Computer Science, 2021-2023, Texas A&M - San Antonio
BBA in Information Systems, 2017-2021, Texas A&M - San Antonio
AB in Business Administration, San Antonio College, 2015-2017

Projects

Digital Twin Research Program | UTSA SAAL | 2024 - Present
Research Lead managing a team of 7 students in developing digital twin technologies for geospatial applications. Supervised by Dr. Peyman Najafirad.

Natural Language Processing Research | TAMUSA | Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
Research Assistant contributing to NLP research publications and advancing computational linguistics methodologies. Led by Dr. Izzat Alsmadi.

Game Developer | Darkan Project | 2017 - Present
Core developer for an open-source RuneScape remake, contributing to game engine architecture and gameplay systems. Founded by Trenton Kress.

Student Advocate | Students With Psychosis | 2020 - Present
Volunteer member supporting first-episode psychosis student advocacy initiatives and mental health awareness. Led by Cecilia McGough.

Catechumen Volunteer | St. Anthony’s Orthodox Church | 2025 - Present
Community volunteer supporting Christian education programs at OCA parish under Fr. David Wooten.

News

• [08/2025] We submitted our first paper to AAAI titled “AI-Powered Service for Land Surface Temperature Forecasting Across the USA”

• [02/2025] Joined an OCA parish. Christ is risen!

• [08/2024] Enrolled in a PhD program under Dr. Najafirad’s advisement.

• [05/2024] I joined Dr. Najafirad’s SAAL group! Excited to explore geospatial programming and ML.

• [01/2024] Independently published How to Learn Code on Amazon.

• [05/2023] I successfully defended my Master Thesis! A huge thank you to my advisors Dr. Alsmadi & Dr. Gongbo Liang