EDUCATION
University of Utah August 2024 – May 2026 (Expected)
Master of Entertainment Art and Engineering (MEAE) in Technical Art Track (GPA: 3.955/4.0)
University of California, Santa Cruz August 2022 – March 2024
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Art & Design: Game & Playable Media (Junior/Senior GPA: 3.93/4.0 on Dean's Honors)
EXPERIENCE
Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Utah August 2025 - Now
Animation for Games
Supported instruction in character animation, rigging, and motion capture workflows using Maya and Unreal Engine
Assisted undergraduate students with motion capture editing, retargeting, and animation state machine setup to integrate player-driven interactions within game engines; provided feedback on corresponding assignments
Tech Art I
Guided first-year grad students in python scripting for Maya, developing automation tools for rigging, asset pipelines, and procedural workflows; provided feedback on scripting best practices and tool design
Collaborated with faculty to reinforce cross-disciplinary problem-solving and technical art principles, mentoring students on both artistic quality and technical constraints in game development
Technical Artist, Tencent Games May 2025 - August 2025
Unpublished R&D Project [Stylized, Unreal 5]
Developed python script for streamlining the rigs for CG character & optimizing the framerate in Maya
Problem-solving for the irregular mesh deforms during import/export from Maya to Unreal, added extra pipeline standards for the import process
Unpublished R&D Project [Realistic, Unreal 5]
Research on home-brew custom Metahuman pipelines, wrote technical documents for internal tech-share presentations
Research on the latest Metahuman pipeline (UE5.6), adapted Metahuman Animator’s latest depth-based facial expression capture into custom Metahuman pipelines and ML-based deformer training
Arena Breakout: Infinite [Realistic, Unreal 4]
Maintained & optimized the skeleton-based pseudo-physics system (in C++) and wrote technical documentations for internal tech-share presentations
Developed custom Anim nodes (in C++) within the unreal animation blueprint system and wrote internal tutorials
PROJECTS
Emotion-Based Game Input via CNN, Independent Gamedev Coalition, UCSC Oct 2023 – Mar 2024
Built a 3-class CNN (neutral/happy/surprised) with TensorFlow and OpenCV for real-time webcam input
Designed preprocessing and prediction pipeline for in-game emotion-based control in Tic Tac Toe
Achieved 85%+ test accuracy and integrated camera-driven UX as a novel no-controller input method
Stylized Painterly Rendering Shader, Serious Games Research, University of Utah Sep 2024 – Oct 2024
Developed a stylized painterly rendering pipeline in Unity using HLSL compute shaders
Implemented edge detection, quantization & coverage map optimization with Sobel-based flow fields
Designed a real-time GPU-parallel system for large-scale pixel simulation with adjustable art controls
Itano Circus Missile Behavior Simulation, Research Project, University of Utah Sep 2024 – Nov 2024
Designed a missile swarm behavior system inspired by anime-style "Itano Circus" dynamics
Implemented procedural path offset using Perlin noise and flocking mechanics
Integrated predictive overshoot, target switching, and explosion feedback for combat cinematics
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Programming Language & Game Engine
Proficient in C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, HTML, Python, Processing
Experience with graphic search, behavior tree, PCG, genetic algorithm, deep learning in Python
Experienced with game engines such as Construct 3, RPG Maker, Phaser 3, Unity, and Unreal
Industrial Software & Design Tool
Proficient with DCCs such as Blender, Houdini, Maya, Zbrush, and Substance Designer/Painter
Proficient with graphic processing tools such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, and Premier Pro
Experience with graphic and UI/UX design adhering to industry standard
Experience with sound design and music composition via Audacity and open-source MIDI software
Communication & Collaboration
Fluent in English, Japanese, and Mandarin with multicultural backgrounds
Proficient with word/data processing tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Experience with research and analytical critiques in fields of art & design, automobile, digital media
Experience with team collaboration, source control, and production tools (e.g., GitHub,Perforce, Trello, Jira)