I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Rice University, where I work under the supervision of Prof. Nai-Hui Chia. I was fortunate to receive my Ph.D. from Portland State University under the guidance of Prof. Fang Song, whose support shaped my research path. My current research centers on quantum pseudorandomness and its role in quantum cryptography. I study how stronger forms of pseudorandomness can be constructed, what structural and security properties they exhibit, and how these distinctions could shape a different landscape for quantum cryptography. I am also broadly interested in quantum cryptographic primitives that may not need to rely on classical minimal assumptions, and in understanding how the space of quantum-native cryptographic tools can be expanded and what kinds of applications such tools might enable. In addition, I am interested in the complexity-theoretic questions that arise from these primitives, as they shed light on how quantum cryptography fundamentally differs from its classical counterpart.

Before diving into this line of research, my academic journey took a very different path. In 2017, I had the chance to switch my major to Computer Science after earning a Bachelor’s degree in advertising. I studied in the Post-Baccalaureate program at Portland State University for one year, then entered its Master’s program. I received my M.S. degree in 2019 and chose to continue pursuing more complex and fundamental research. I am especially grateful to Prof. Bryant W. York for his mentorship and encouragement during this transition, and I sincerely thank all those who helped me along the way.