My journey to education and research started when I first met a mentor (Dr. Dana Ulveland) in the second term of the master's program. He inspired me with his course: Critical Inquiry into the Foundational Narratives of Schooling. It is not a practical course to me, like research methods, but he shared his thoughts with philosophical, societal, and historical narratives that made me rethink the meaning of schooling and education. It was only one of many courses I took in the program, but it was a huge leap that led me to start a career in education because I know it's time to contribute and make changes. 

I continued to the Ph.D. program and eventually earned a doctorate in teaching, curriculum, and learning + statistics. I am interested in effective learning technology integration, data analytics, student engagement & self-regulation within educational technology contexts, and evidence-based learning experience design. Because of the philosophical influence of the master's course, I believe effective use of technology can create opportunities to prepare students for the fast-changing world. Therefore, for the entire Ph.D. program, I focused on developing applied research that can be used in real-world settings. For example, some instructors still used my engagement scorecard and data dashboard even after I left the school for a few years. I love theoretical research that helps me develop an essential understanding of the concepts, but I personally enjoy the moment that my research products are being used to support operational decisions and student success and accelerate decision-making. Based on the effort I devote to my research, 95% of my research projects have been used in the real world to benefit students, instructors, leadership, and universities. I believe in using data and appropriate methodologies to address teaching and learning issues in addition to operational and strategic decision evaluations. 

I started my career as a Learning Analytics Specialist, where I combined my knowledge in education, machine learning/statistics, and programming to support learning experience design, student engagement assessment, and learning behavior modeling. I then expanded my expertise to program evaluation and impact assessment, focusing on the effects of interventions and programs within a larger landscape. These projects led me to develop expertise in organizational-level strategic planning evaluation, allowing me to use data to accelerate decision-making for leadership through both bottom-up and top-down approaches. Currently, I am a Senior Data Specialist at a top medical school, leading a data analytics team that conducts institutional analytics and reporting across various domains, including research, education, social impact, business development, alumni/donor engagement, grants and award competitions, operations, planning, and facilities.

I also conduct research to support my work and interests, aiming to connect theory to practice and solve real-world problems. I developed a practical approach to assess student engagement within learning management systems, guiding instructors and learning experience designers in creating curricula that engage students for better learning outcomes. My approach to evaluating and improving student engagement has been adapted and implemented into courses across multiple colleges, providing evidence-based recommendations after instructors monitor student learning and engagement with the dashboard I designed. My research then expanded to fine-tuning large language models (LLMs) to aid my team's daily work, such as qualitative analysis and impact generation. These tweaked models have been used to support data governance, government reporting, strategic plan evaluation, grant applications, award competitions, and more.

Besides work and research, I am a pilot who is qualified for a commercial rating with hundreds of hours. I enjoy spending time at the airport with the family, seeing airplanes taking off and landing. I also collect LEGOs and play hobby-level RC cars and FPV drones. I am currently residing in a quiet place with my lovable wife, two energetic children, and a golden retriever.