Education
University of Southern California
Aug. 2025 - May 2027
Arizona State University
Aug. 2021 - Dec. 2024
Teaching:
- TA for ASU 101 (The ASU Experience), Fall 2024
- TA for CSE 230 (Computer Organization & Assembly Language), Fall 2023
Publications
Refereed Journal Articles:
- J.I. Tapia, S. Kumar, and P.T. Grogan, Scalable Model-Centric Engineering Analysis Workflows Using Distributed Task Queues with TAT-C, Journal of Aerospace Information Systems. https://doi.org/10.2514/1.I011573
Refereed Conference Papers:
- S. Kumar, Evaluating a Modified Richardson Model for Analysis of the Golden Dome, Conference on Systems Engineering Research 2026.
In Review:
- S. Kumar, J.I. Tapia, and P.T. Grogan, Dynamic Targeting of Convective Precipitation with GEOS-5 Nature Run and Reinforcement Learning, IEEE IGARSS 2026.
Professional Experience
Graduate Researcher at Department of Astronautical Engineering, University of Southern California
Researcher
August 2025 – Present • Los Angeles, CA
- Researching and publishing on applications of reinforcement learning to strategic space systems engineering
- Authored a conference paper on the Richardson Arms Race model and the Golden Dome for the Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER) 2026
Summer Intern at Information Technology Department, Santa Clara Valley Water District
Internship
May 2025 – August 2025 • San Jose, CA
- Researched and wrote a strategic plan for implementing predictive analytics, cybersecurity, and AI technologies
- Led training and workforce development initiatives focused on practical AI adoption
Research Assistant at Farmer School of Business, Miami University
Advised by Dr. Peter Nencka
January 2025 – May 2025 • Remote
- Applied natural language processing techniques to perform vectorized string interpolation on large scale datasets
- Implemented zero-inflated Poisson regressions to analyze institutional responses to the Great Influenza
- Contributed to the novel dataset curation and analysis of hospital records from 1909 to 1975
Research Assistant at Collective Design Lab
Advised by Dr. Paul Grogan, Funded by NASA JPL
November 2023 – December 2024 • Tempe, AZ
- Implemented new satellite constellation types and instrument observation behavior in the Tradespace Analysis Tool for Constellations (TAT-C)
- Optimized satellite observation capabilities and duty cycle timing for convective storms with RL & ML algorithms
- Developed parallel computing functionalities, using Dask, within a comprehensive systems analysis codebase, optimizing performance and scalability
Research Assistant at Arizona State University
Advised by Dr. Kookjin Lee, Funded by Sandia National Labs
January 2024 - May 2024 • Tempe, AZ
- Tested the capabilities and guided the manufacturing decisions of a newly invented platinum-gold alloy using large-scale nanoindentation datasets
- Utilized diffusion and regression models to test the capabilities of a newly developed platinum-gold alloy
- Implemented CARD (Classification and Regression Diffusion Models) and RNNs (Recurrent Neural Networks) for conditional distribution predictions
Research Assistant at Snyder Lab of Genetics
Advised by Dr. Michael Snyder & Alexander Johansen
April 2023 – September 2023 • Palo Alto, CA
- Streamlined and enabled secure data extraction from HealthKit to Firebase through an iOS application
- Created a HealthKit to JSON Swift package to allow for personal analysis of data through iPython notebooks
- Developed a Python package utilized by clinical researchers to extract 1000+ data points from dozens of various wearable devices using REST APIs