About

I am a first-year Data Science Ph.D. student at the University of California, San Diego working under Professors Rose Yu and Yian Ma. Before starting my Ph.D., I graduated from with an A.B. in Statistics & Mathematics and an S.M. in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University and wrote my senior thesis under Professor David Alvarez-Melis. I also spent a year in the quantitative trading industry.

My research interests center on improving generative models to meet real-world constraints. Specifically, I am interested how scientific and mathematical insights on the statistics and geometry of data can synergize with generative processes.

Previously, I began my undergraduate research exploring how to make state-action spaces interpretable for safe reinforcement learning in healthcare. Afterwards, I studied the connection of loss landscape geometry and generalization in deep learning through the lenses of parameter space symmetries and model merging.

You can reach me at a5rojas[at]ucsd[dot]edu.