About Me

Hey there! I'm David, a 22-year old Peruvian-American studying computer science (CS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). I'm currently a rising MS student in CS at UTK, having just graduated with my Bachelor of Science in CS and Summa Cum Laude honors in May 2026. During my time at school, I've built a strong foundation in artificial intelligence, machine learning, software development, and data structures/algorithms.

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I am currently working as a Gas Strategic Technology Intern for Southern Company in Naperville, IL, gaining hands-on experience with machine learning and practical AI in the energy/power domain. I have previously worked as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for the Tickle College of Engineering's Engineering Fundamentals (EF) program, where I tutored first-year students in engineering physics and supported professors both in and out of the classroom, and as an Undergraduate Research Assistant for the Social Tactile & Assistive Robotics and Intelligence (STARI) lab, where I explored applications of social robots that use tactile sensors. Looking ahead, I will continue to work for the EF program as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, where I will get to lead lab sessions and mentor the next batch of undergraduate students.

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My interests reside in large language model (LLM) safety and improving our day-to-day interactions with popular commercial models. I've observed recently how others rely on a chatbot for mental health and/or therapeutic purposes. Commercial chatbots are currently not equipped to handle the complexity of human emotions, which has led to tragic consequences over the last couple years. I would love to work improving safeguards on models to ensure they're safe for use before being deployed for production. I would also love to work on developing agentic tools equipped for these complex tasks to potentially lead to agents augmenting the work of therapists in the mental health domain.

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During my free time, I love to watch movies at the theater, produce music, stay active by going to the gym or running, serving at my church, and hanging out with family and friends.