About Me
My first interaction with a computer was my dad's ThinkPad when I was five years old. Playing games on the Lego and Disney websites didn’t just entertain me — it sparked my interest in the possibilities of software and technology.
That curiosity grew into a passion for developing technology that has a material impact on people's lives. In middle school, I developed a mobile app to assist dyslexic students, working with a local learning center. During my undergrad, I contributed to a VR Earth Orbit project that transformed published research into an interactive teaching tool for astronomical concepts to students. I've recently completed an internship at a biotech startup, applying machine learning to accelerate drug discovery.
Seventeen years later, I’ve turned that early spark into a career path. I am now pursuing my M.S. at SDSU, focusing on machine learning and artificial intelligence. I am currently a Graduate Research Assistant with the SDSU Climate Informatics Lab, working on the iCharm interface. I am also responsible for a research project with Dr. Jianshu Liu on agentic digital twin systems, which has just obtained funding from the SDSU Division of Research and Innovation.
In my free time, I enjoy listening to music, taking pictures with my film camera, and watching movies.
Experience
Present
San Diego, CAGraduate Research Assistant · SDSU Climate Informatics Laboratory
Developing the iCharm climate analysis interface, incorporating over 200 GB of NOAA datasets for 3D-visualization and statistical analysis.
Present
San Diego, CAGraduate Research Intern · Pisces Lab @ SDSU
Building an agentic digital-twin system for smart city traffic using CARLA and Ruth simulators. Integrated Google Gemini for natural language conversion, autonomous entity control, and inferencing.
2025
San Diego, CAData Science Intern · Tensor Therapeutics
Accelerated drug discovery processes by generating predictive models for RNA structures and molecular interactions. Deployed a scalable variant calling pipeline using Sarek (nf-core) for genomic data analysis.
Projects
VR Earth Orbit Simulation
Solves an educational issue explaining astronomical concepts by providing a visual, hands-on VR experience. Users can listen to lectures or walk around and interact with the Earth, Moon, and Sun's orbit.
Formula 1 Race Prediction Application
Developed predictive analytics model using linear/multinomial regression and XGBoost algorithms. Data operations are managed with PostgreSQL and results are visualized using Matplotlib
Portfolio Website // waphong.com
My personal portfolio website. Integrates BetterAuth, Prisma and PostgreSQL for backend usage.
Education
May 2027 San Diego State University
M.S. in Computer Science
Aug 2024 California State University, San Marcos
B.S. in Computer Science
Cum Laude, Deans List Spring 2023 & 2024