Umar Patel

Education

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

• M.S. Computer Science (Visual Computing) - Sept 2023 – Sept 2024
• B.S. Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence) & B.A. Archaeology (Dual Degrees) - Sept 2019 – June 2023
• Scores: GPA: 3.84/4.0
• Honors: 1 of 2 recipients (out of 700) of $200,000 Genentech Scholarship for outstanding STEM achievement.

University of Oxford, Study Abroad Program

Oxford, United Kingdom

• Sept 2022 – Dec 2022: Conducted parallel research in Medieval Norman Archaeology and Artificial Intelligence.
• Brasenose College Men’s Rowing Team: Competed in 2 autumn regattas (races) as part of the 1st-tier 8-man boat.

Experience

Software Developer & UX Researcher at Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence

Aug 2024 – Present

• Led team of 6 economists and policy researchers to develop an online platform for citizen engagement, using AI-driven agents and visualizations to facilitate decision-making on public sector issues, reducing polarization by 15% vs. non-AI based systems.
• Secured partnership with Office of the Chief Technology Officer to deploy platform at monthly Washington DC town halls with 200+ citizens; obtained $50,000 for collaboration with Parliament of Ghana to engage 100,000+ citizens in national referendum.
• Presented platform to 800+ policy experts at AI conferences to secure new channels, resulting in the acquisition of 7 new partners.
• Organized a 1,500-user nationwide study leading to accelerated AI adoption and expanded citizen participation.

Virtual Reality Developer at David Rumsey Map Center

June 2024 – Aug 2024

• Spearheaded the development of a map-based virtual reality (VR) app on the Apple Vision Pro, reaching 1,000+ students and researchers, digitizing access to 6,000+ historical maps, and reducing site lookup times by 75%.
• Directed a team of 5 cartographers and map historians to engineer content for 30+ points of interest in 20 regions of Paris, creating an adaptable framework for users to contribute to maps from 500+ global cities.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Researcher at Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis

Jan 2021 – Aug 2024

• Built and optimized advanced AI vision models for Arabic and Ottoman handwritten text recognition, processing 12,000+ handwritten samples from 15+ datasets to improve character and word error rates by 54%.
• Developed Ottoman AI toolkit and processing pipeline alongside linguists from Turkey and Germany, enhancing accessibility for 4 non-Latin languages and digitizing 2,600+ physical manuscripts into a searchable database.

R&D Intern (Virtual Reality) at Human-Computer Interaction Lab

June 2023 – Sept 2023

• Led development of 10 novel AI-integrated VR frameworks for furniture, food, and notetaking industries using unreleased software.
• Managed end-to-end VR platform pipeline, reducing user action-to-output time to 2 seconds and enabling seamless user interaction.
• Initiated and guided 6 international research engineers in delivering weekly presentations to 30+ AI, education, and health experts.

Leadership & Volunteering

Lead Oxford Student Ambassador for The Bing Overseas Studies Program

Stanford University, CA | Sept 2023 – June 2024

• Created pre-departure strategy for 400+ students, delivering 20+ inclusive presentations on travel, academics, and culture to enhance program experiences, boosting total student applicants by 14% and consistently ranking Oxford among top 2 (of 12) programs.
• Launched campaign for user-facing iOS app featuring personalized maps and guides, supporting students in 12 international cities.

Assistant Stage Manager for the Coastal Repertory Theatre

Half Moon Bay, CA | Sept 2024 – Present

• Coordinated backstage scene transitions for 27 shows serving 4000+ attendees, resolving unexpected set challenges and coordinating with directors, technicians, and actors to synchronize cues during production.
• Founded new blog column to enhance audience engagement and led marketing expansion efforts in 3 Bay Area coastal cities, raising $80,000 for the theater’s modernization campaign.

Digital Humanities Technology Advisor

Stanford University, CA (partnership with University of Toronto) | June 2022 - Present

• Advised 25+ projects implementing VR, AI, and text processing to drive successful applications used in 24 university departments.
• Directed a team of 5 international designers and architects to develop a virtual 3D meditation space and cultural learning hub.

Developer for Stanford XR Club (Virtual and Augmented Reality Club)

Stanford University, CA | Jan 2021 – June 2024

• Chosen as 1 of 5 teams for competitive virtual reality program to develop innovative education and language-based apps, designed to enhance interactivity and knowledge retention, and presented to 150+ VR industry leaders.

Personal

• Technical Skills: MS Office, Python, NoSQL Databases, Figma, Photoshop, VR, Mobile App, & Web Development Platforms.
• Interests: Painting landscapes of travels abroad, playing pop/rap songs on acoustic guitar, and dancing cross-step waltz.