Derek is currently a graduate student in the Department of Civil and Urban Engineering at New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering, pursuing a master’s degree in Transportation Systems. He wishes to use this degree to conduct research on the various public transportation systems around the world and potentially suggest recommendations for cities with struggling transit networks.
In May 2026, Derek graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook University with majors in Applied Mathematics and Economics with a GPA of 3.89/4.0. In his time at the university, he served as a teaching assistant (TA) for multiple math courses (Finite Mathematical Structures, Introduction to Probability Theory). Additionally, he also served as secretary of Animated Perspectives, the university’s anime club, and was a cabinet member of Brook Con, the university’s annual fandom convention. Derek is currently an advisor of the vendors and exhibitors department, assisting despite no longer being a student at Stony Brook.
In June, 2023, Derek graduated from the Bronx High School of Science with a 96/100 GPA. In his time in high school, he has taken and scored high on many advanced placement courses, including Calculus BC, Statistics, Microeconomics, and Physics I. In addition, he also scored a 1500 on the SAT, with a 700 in the English section and an 800 in the math section.
Derek was an intern for Glimm Analytics, a company founded by applied math Stony Brook professors. They are focused on analyzing and modeling traded assets in the market. Currently, he is working on creating a model that can best predict price movement over 5-minute intervals, while also accounting for overnight time steps.
In his free time, Derek likes to go outside for night walks while listening to music (he’s currently a big j-pop fan!), visit botanical gardens, play badminton with friends, or stay at home reading light novels or manga. He also enjoys cooking and is always ready to try a new recipe.