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 user interfacing. Specifically, I am exploring the applications of neural models and human interactions to address challenges in agentic automation, remote sensing with neural models, user experience, vision and language models.

Education

PhD in Computer Science, 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 SAAL Research | UTSA SAAL | 2024 - 2025
Lab assistant in twin cities and geospatial applications. Supervised by Dr. Peyman Najafirad.

Natural Language Processing Research | TAMUSA | Fall 2022 - Spring 2023
Research Assistant contributing to NLP publications. Led by Dr. Izzat Alsmadi.

Game Developer | Darkan Project | 2017 - Present
Core developer for an open-source RuneScape remake. Founded by Trenton Kress.

Student Advocate | Students With Psychosis | 2020 - Present
Volunteer member supporting psychosis student advocacy initiatives. Led by Cecilia McGough.

News

• [08/2024] Enrolled as a PhD student advised under Dr. Najafirad.

• [05/2024] I joined Dr. Najafirad’s SAAL group.

• [01/2024] Independently wrote “How to Learn Code” and posted it on Amazon.

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