Hi there, I'm Ben!

I'm a third-year at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering studying Computer Science and an aspiring software and compiler engineer. I'm interested in all things related to compilers and machine learning.

I'm currently in the stage of honing my skills and learning more about the field broadly. As I grow as a software engineer, I wish to focus more on the intersection between compilers and machine learning, particularly in the realm of model optimization.

About Me

I am a third-year at Northwestern University pursuing my Bachelors of Science in Computer Science. I'll be applying to Northwestern's Combined BS/MS Degree Program this upcoming Spring.

I'm currently doing research at Northwestern's ARCANA Lab. My work currently involves writing a Rust frontend for MemOIR, which uses properties of single-ownership memory to generate novel optimizations for languages that manage memory manually. I'm also working on writing code analyses to quantitatively compare the quality of code generated by Rust and and C/C++ compilers.

I'm also debating for Northwestern's Debate Team. Over the course of a season, I compete in multiple tournaments against teams from 90+ universities across the United States. The cumulative research that goes into preparation for these tournaments every year is equivalent in rigor to a Master's-level thesis. This year, my research involves analyzing the effects of clean energy policy on various industries and their overall efficacy in reducing carbon emissions.

Topics I researched in previous years included:

  • The risks of AI in nuclear C3 systems
  • Feasibility of AGI alignment
  • Inventorship rights for generative AI
  • Vesting legal duties into entities such as DAOs, medical AI, and robo-advisors

When I'm not working or in class, you'll probably find me practicing piano, queueing VALORANT, refining my speedcubing skills, or going to the gym. I'm also a big fan of cats, ferrets, and various campus wildlife (possums, raccoons, squirrels, bunnies, etc), so there's a good chance you find me taking a picture of something in a tree or by a bush between classes.

Experience

Compiler Research Assistant

Northwestern University Department of Computer Science

  • Working with ARCANA Lab to pioneer unique techniques aimed at improving compiler efficiency
  • Writing a Rust frontend for the MemOIR compiler that generates novel optimizations for C and C++ programs
  • Extending MemOIR with a custom compilation chain to match over 60% of Rust’s API for Vec and HashMap
  • Gave a talk on the Rust frontend; slides here (pdf, pptx)
  • Developing code analyses to quantitatively compare the quality of code generated by Rust and C/C++ compilers

Peer Mentor

Northwestern University Department of Computer Science

  • Devoted 6-10 hours per week to assist 200+ students in Intro to AI in understanding course content
  • Offered personalized 1-on-1 guidance through regular office hours to help students with AI concepts and debugging
  • Promptly addressed over 10% of all student inquiries on Campuswire about course material and logistics, creating an open learning environment beyond traditional class hours

Lab Leader

Northwestern Debate Institute

  • Coached 50+ high school debaters from across the world through lectures on debate theory and structuring targeted drills to build proficiency in topics such as AI, cybersecurity, fiscal policy, international relations, and current events
  • Led the largest lab by judging 4+ hours of debates per day and facilitating evening office hours to refine students’ argument generation skills and speaking mechanics
  • Directed the camp tournament by overseeing logistics and pairings, ensuring a smooth and engaging experience for all students

Resident Assistant

Northwestern University

  • Coordinated with fellow resident assistants to cultivate community among 30+ ethnically diverse high school debaters, fostering inclusivity and support
  • Enforced Residence Hall Policies in an equitable manner, promoting a safe and welcoming environment for all students
  • Mediated conflicts and offered guidance, fostering a harmonious and supportive atmosphere conducive to growth and community cohesion

Projects

Personal Website

Portfolio website for my work. You're looking at it right now!

*NEW*

DefinitelyTyped (Opensource)

Verifying the correctness of TypeScript bindings in DefinitelyTyped.

*NEW*

F-STARS

FPGA-mounted system for detecting seismic activity on Mars using machine learning and signal processing.

Purple Hours

Group-based queue system for office hours in Northwestern CS courses.

LB to x86_64 Compiler

Compiler from a C-like language to x86_64 that uses modern compilation techniques (e.g. register allocation, instruction selection, syntactic sugar).

PairingsBot

Bot that automatically posts pairings from debate tournaments on Tabroom to a Discord server.

CS Investment Tracker

Tracker for Counter-Strike investments that pulls item prices from Steam and calculates profit including Steam tax.

OpenStreetMap Nav API

OpenStreetMap programming interface for running basic search queries such as finding the shortest path between buildings and identifying buildings and doorways.