I'm a PhD student in Complex Systems, working with Luis Rocha as part of his Complex Adaptive Systems and Computational Intelligence (CASCI) group. My interests include artificial intelligence, graph theory, and dynamical systems theory. I'm currently working on characterizing network dynamics, redundancy, and control in biological networks.
In my spare time, I am a cofounder of Ideation and Creation Entrepreneurs, a student group dedicated towards fostering entrepreneurial ambition among students in the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University and connecting those students with the resources they need to succeed. I've been the technical lead on multiple student-lead startup projects and I speak Russian! I have Bachelors degrees in Cognitive Science and Biophysics.
Education
Indiana University Bloomington
Ph.D. candidate in Complex Systems • 2017 - present
Member of the Complex Adaptive Systems and Computational Intelligence (CASCI) group. Currently working on characterizing network dynamics, redundancy, and control in biological networks.
Indiana University Bloomington
Master in Computer Science • 2017
Focus on machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
Research assistant • 2015
Machine learning on NIH data to discover adverse drug reactions.
Indiana University Bloomington
Bachelor of Science (BS) Cognitive Science; Biophysics • 2012
Hutton Honors College, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, Dobro Slovo National Slavic Honor Society.
Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU)
Biotechnology and Russian program participant • 2011
Sponsored by George Washington University Medical Center. Isolated fluorescence gene from coral for transformation into E. Coli.
University of Cape Town
PASSOP NGO intern • 2010
Intern in the Scientific Computing Research Unit.
Experience
Graduate Client Manager
Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering • 2019 - present
Facilitated operations for the Shoebox, the university’s student startup incubator located within the Shoemaker Innovation Center. Developed and coordinated programming and provided mentorship for 30 startup teams.
Tutor
Bloomington Tutors • 2017 - present
Assist students in learning concepts from Object Oriented Programming to basic/advanced Python programming. Courses include: CSCI C211, INFO I210, INFO I211, INFO I308, INFO I519.
PhD student in Complex Systems
Indiana University Bloomington • 2014 - present
Instructional experience teaching product management, design strategy, technology entrepreneurship, databases, search engines, and introductory Python. Research experience with machine learning, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and graph algorithms. I am particularly focused on dynamics within discrete-state networks. Velocity program, Kelley School of Business, Mar 2017.
CTO/Technical Project Lead
Ambition in Motion • 2017 - 2018
Managed ideation to implementation of a technical product to provide students with alumni mentorships. This included full-stack programming of a MVP and lead of an internship team, as well as product management and business strategy in support of product launch at five different client organizations.
Co-Founder/President
Ideation and Creation Entrepreneurs • 2015 - 2017
CE is a student group dedicated towards fostering entrepreneurial ambition among students in the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University and connecting those students with the resources they need to succeed. ICE has provided students with numerous workshops, pitch nights, and speaker series, as well as connecting students who have similar interests to pursue their own business ideas.
Technical Services Analyst
Epic • 2012 – 2014
Lead technical support of the hospital billing application at four hospitals located in GA, MN, ND, and OH. Project management and optimization of customers’ revenue application post system implementation.
Game Developer
Indiana University Bloomington • 2010 – 2012
Production, design and programming of a team project to create an online game to model economic and social dilemmas. Managed specialized teams (e.g. programming, user interface, graphic design).
Intern
University of Cape Town • 2010
Worked at the Scientific Computing Research Unit (SCRU) on programming applications of 3D protein models to display chemical interactions and properties.
Publications
Evolution of the Informational Complexity of Contemporary Western Music
Thomas Parmer, Yong-Yeol Ahn • 2019
Current Research
Dynamical modularity in Boolean networks
Development of theory and algorithms to best detect dynamical modularity within a Boolean network. Unlike structural methods (such as community detection), dynamical modularity accounts for complex, nonlinear interactions between network components. Integrates graph theory, control theory, and information diffusion, towards the goal of understanding how information is utilized by complex systems.
Measuring complexity of music over time
Development of a complexity metric to determine how music changes over time and across genres. Analysis includes a large-scale corpus (the Million Song Dataset), as well as popular songs that appear on the Billboard Hot 100. Integrates parametric and nonparametric statistical analysis and information theory, towards the goal of understanding the relationship between popularity and complexity of cultural artifacts.
Machine learning to identify drug-drug interactions in PubMed
Application of machine learning algorithms to a large-scale corpus (the PubMed bibliome) to find scientific articles with evidence of drug-drug interaction (DDI). Integrates machine learning.
Skills