Summary
I am a graduate student in the Bachelor's and Master's (BAM) program in Quantitative Economics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, specializing in spatial econometrics, urban economics, and computational methods. My central academic passion is using rigorous data science to dissect the regulatory and economic systems that shape our built environment.
My quantitative work is deeply informed by a broad foundation in the liberal arts. I believe that economic models are most powerful when they account for the human context—the historical policies, legal frameworks, and behavioral dimensions that drive decision-making. Whether I am analyzing the macroeconomic impact of municipal zoning laws or designing behavioral lab experiments, this interdisciplinary lens allows me to move beyond the numbers to ask nuanced, policy-relevant questions.
As an aspiring researcher, my goal is to pursue a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship followed by a Ph.D. in Economics. My current research lies at the intersection of applied microeconomics, spatial data science, and behavioral game theory. This website serves as a living portfolio of my academic projects, computational pipelines, and professional journey.
Technical Stack & Methodologies:
- Languages & Tools: Python, R, Julia, LaTeX, and Git.
- Econometrics & Spatial Analysis: Spatial econometrics (GIS, OpenStreetMap, Cadastral mapping), Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations (MICE), Random Forests, and Rubin's Rules pooling.
- AI & Infrastructure: Training and fine-tuning sub-1B parameter Large Language Models (LLMs) for behavioral economics research. Managing locally-hosted, high-performance Linux server environments to ensure data privacy and open-source accessibility.
History
Education & Background
- University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
- Professional Licensing
- Certified General Appraiser, State of Hawaiʻi (2023 – Present)
- Licensed Real Estate Appraiser, State of Hawaiʻi (2020 – 2023)
- Past Research & Goals
Leadership & Teaching
- President (Previously Vice President, Treasurer)
- Manoa Economics Association (MEA)
- Developed and promoted a club mission to broaden undergraduates' understanding of economics beyond finance.
- Established and managed a guest speaker series to illuminate career paths and research areas.
- Served as the primary representative for the organization, growing student engagement.
- Managed the club's budget and secured operational funding through the university's RIO system.
- Teaching Assistant
- Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 130)
- Mentored students during flexible office hours, clarifying complex microeconomic concepts.
- Presented course material and led review sessions to prepare students for examinations.
- Assisted the professor with grading to ensure fair and consistent evaluation.
Global Experience
- Intern, Guest Services
- Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, European & North African Itineraries
- Acted as a central communication liaison between international guests and shipboard departments.
- Developed strong adaptability while working with a diverse international crew.
- Demonstrated grace under pressure during shipboard emergencies.
Ongoing Work
Master's Thesis: Gone Golfing
The Unrealized Value of America's Golf Courses
Thesis Proposal Posted
This thesis quantifies the macroeconomic inefficiency of recreational land allocation, estimating the aggregate opportunity cost of 16,297 U.S. golf courses against their Highest and Best Use (HBU) counterfactuals.
Interactive Version — Coming Soon
After the thesis clears defense, this section will host an interactive version of the study with embedded charts, GIS visualizations, and toggleable data layers (national county map, Oahu parcel map, MICE convergence diagnostics, Lorenz curve, Preservation Paradox waffle). For now, the full proposal PDF is available below.
Key Methodologies & Findings
- The Tri-Language Pipeline: Engineered a fully reproducible spatial econometrics pipeline independently in Python, R, and Julia. Integrated FHFA and USDA land valuations with OpenStreetMap GIS data.
- Advanced Imputation: Resolved 28.8% missing acreage data using Random Forest Multiple Imputation by Chained Equations (MICE; M=100 per language), pooled via Rubin's Rules.
- Macro Findings: Identified a $944 billion gross national opportunity cost, heavily concentrated in coastal markets. A logarithmic decomposition reveals urban courses are valued at ~60× rural courses per-acre.
- Micro Validation (Hawaii): Conducted a parcel-level cadastral analysis of Honolulu County (1,072 TMKs), yielding a $26.67B Oahu aggregate and a model-to-assessed validation against municipal tax records.
- Policy Impact: Documented the "Preservation Paradox"—81.7% of Oahu's golf footprint sits in legally restricted zoning, leaving only ~$1.2B legally realizable under current law and demonstrating how regulatory architecture paralyzes market reallocation.
Applied AI in Behavioral Economics (Ongoing)
Training and fine-tuning sub-1B parameter Large Language Models (LLMs) on local, locally-hosted hardware. This research explores how small, efficient generative AI models can be utilized to predict and analyze participant data from economic lab experiments. Summer IHPCSS 2026 participant, to be visiting this coming July.
About
My professional and academic journey is built on a dual foundation: rigorous quantitative training in economics and a deep curiosity about the human systems that shape our world.
My path to economics was not linear. It began with a broad exploration of the liberal arts—from astronomy and physics to sociology and history. This foundation instilled in me an interdisciplinary perspective and a conviction that the most pressing economic challenges cannot be understood through a single lens. Today, as a graduate student in the Quantitative Economics BAM program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, I bring this holistic viewpoint to my work, seeking to understand the human and institutional stories behind the data.
This belief in bridging theory and practice is deeply reflected in my professional life. As a State-Certified Appraiser in Hawaiʻi, I have years of hands-on experience in market analysis, zoning regulations, and property valuation. This role serves as a real-world laboratory, grounding my academic models—such as my thesis on the macroeconomic opportunity cost of land use—in the tangible, legal, and spatial factors that drive economic behavior.
Beyond my academic and professional work, I am passionate about building community. As President of the Manoa Economics Association, I focused on demystifying our field for undergraduates, showing them that economics is not just about finance, but a powerful tool for understanding efficiency, policy, and real-world impact. This leadership experience, along with my time working with a diverse international crew on cruise ships in Europe and North Africa, solidified my commitment to fostering inclusive and collaborative environments.
My goal is to pursue a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship and ultimately a Ph.D. in Economics, where I can continue to explore complex questions at the intersection of spatial econometrics, policy, and strategic behavior. I am driven to contribute to research that is analytically rigorous, ethically grounded, and socially conscious.
Technical Philosophy
As my research becomes increasingly computationally intensive—from building tri-language spatial data pipelines to training small language models for behavioral game theory simulations—I am equally committed to the ethics of the tools I use. I strongly advocate for open-source software and sustainable, repairable hardware. In an era where electronic waste is a critical ecological issue, I believe academic research should be powered by systems designed for longevity, modularity, and data privacy, rather than disposable, sealed-box computing.
Thank you for visiting my site.
Contact
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The Bases
