Research

CPS Selective Enrollment Admissions Simulation

Independent Research — github.com/andrewdhood/cps_match

• Applied Maximum Likelihood Estimation to recover hidden population parameters from published admissions data
• Built a Monte Carlo simulation in Python (NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib) modeling 22,000 students across all 11 selective enrollment schools
• Published findings to help families from underserved communities understand their true competitive position
• Published analytical essay “On the Weight of a Number” exploring equity and statistical methodology

Martingales & Mathematical Biology

UT Austin — B.S. Mathematics

• Research on Discrete-Time Martingales and Branching Processes in Mathematical Biology

Adolescent Developmental Psychology

UT Austin

• Data mining projects on teacher adherence to common core mathematics standards
• Maintained “Cyberball” social exclusion simulation tool for graduate pilot studies
• Created and maintained Qualtrics surveys for a nationwide educational research study

Protein Engineering & Vaccine Therapeutics

UT Austin — Chemical Engineering

• Protein engineering research manipulating antibodies for a more effective pertussis therapeutic vaccine
• Buffer creation, bacterial culture, protein purification
• Reviewed immunology literature

Protein Crystallography & Drug Design

Grand Valley State University

• Developed potential drug candidates combating antibiotic resistance (AmpC-type β-Lactamase inhibitors)
• Used PyMOL and Coot to model novel small-molecule inhibitors, interpreting electron density data from Advanced Photon Source (Argonne National Lab)
• Presented at GVSU Student Scholars’ Day
• Received paid summer research extension

Space Pharmacology

USRA Career Exploration Program — under Virginia Wotring, PhD

• Wet-lab research on cosmic radiation and drug metabolism
• Updated the NASA Space Pharmacology risk evidence book
• Authored research grant proposal on radiation-induced oxidative stress
• Attended NASA Human Research Program Investigators’ Workshop (2013)
• Received internship extension due to high performance

Environmental Data Science

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

• Complex SQL queries for large-scale environmental compliance data
• Built interactive data dashboard for TCEQ leadership and EPA regional directors