Teaching

Teaching Awards

UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award

2026

The Distinguished Teaching Awards are UCLA’s highest honor for teaching and recognizes recipients in three categories: senate faculty, non-senate faculty, and teaching assistants. I won as one of six teaching assistants. The award recognizes deserving instructors for their creativity in the classroom, dedication to helping students thrive, and commitment to continually enhancing the educational experience.

UCLA Excellence in Science Communication Award

2025

This award recognized my participation in and dedication to Exploring Your Universe (EYU), the largest science fair at UCLA. I have given many talks at EYU and was a part of the organizing committee for many years.

UCLA AOS Morris Neiburger Award for Outstanding Teaching

2024

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to teaching by graduate students in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Awardees are evaluated on the basis of the quality and quantity of their teaching, in addition to other indications of excellence, such as the incorporation of evidence-based teaching methods.

Teaching Experiences 

Teaching Assistant Consultant
Writing Programs, Clusters
Fall 2024 through Winter2026

The Teaching Assistant Consultant (TAC) is an experienced TA who has been selected to co-facilitate the development and training of new TAs in their department.

As a member of the 495 teaching team and near-peer mentor for the Clusters Program, I co-taught new TAs learn the fundamentals of evidence-based and inclusive teaching practices, how to apply these fundamentals in their discipline in order to be effective instructors, and how to effectively manage the responsibilities and conflicts that arise as a TA.

Teaching Assistant (Primary Instructor) 
Writing II Seminar on Artificial Intelligence in the Climate Crisis
Spring 2024 and 2025

Designed and taught an academic writing seminar for first-year undergraduate students.

I used Fink’s Taxonomy, one of the main learning outcomes of the course is that students will value writing as a process.

Course Description: Students examine the potential benefits and ethical dilemmas of AI in climate action; balancing technological innovation with environmental responsibility. This course explores best practices in science and technical writing and the process of science journalism through close readings and peer review. Students will write and revise an original piece on a topic related to AI’s usage, along with a compelling pitch, with the option to submit their work for publication.

Writing Consultant
UCLA Graduate Writing Center
Fall 2022 – Summer 2025

I worked one-on-one with graduate students to strengthen their writing across a all academic disciplines and genres. I provided feedback on grammar, organization, flow, etc for thesis work, publications, and grants and awards. I supported writers in developing effective editing and revision skills. 

Teaching Assistant
AOS 111: Introduction to Machine Learning
Fall 2023

Course Description: Practical, hands-on introduction to seven of most popular algorithms of machine learning (ML). Students will focus on solving typical problems that arise in physical sciences and create a final ML project exploring a problem of their choosing. This course covers algorithms in broad areas of ML, including supervised learning (regression and classification) and unsupervised learning (clustering and dimensionality reduction).

Teaching Assistant
AOS 101: Atmospheric Thermodynamics
Fall 2022

Course Description: Introduction to thermodynamics (flows of heat, energy, and work) and dynamics (winds) of atmosphere. Topics covered include hydrostatic balance, first law of thermodynamics, dry and moist adiabatic processes, atmospheric stability, and fundamental equations of motion of atmosphere, with applications to geostrophic, gradient, and thermal winds.

Teaching Assistant
AOS 1: Climate Change and Policy
Spring 2022

Course Description: Overview of fundamentals of Earth’s climate, including greenhouse effect, water and chemical cycles, outstanding features of atmospheric and ocean circulation, and feedback between different system components. Importance of climate science and prediction to society.

Math Tutor 
Mathnasium of Monrovia
2019-2021

I provided one-on-one and small group math instruction to students ranging from kindergarten to high school. I helped students strengthen their conceptual understand (mental math) and develop problem-solving strategies.  

Teaching Certificates

CIRTL@UCLA 

2024-2026

The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) is a nation-wide online network of 40+ universities that seek to enhance excellence in undergraduate education through development of a national faculty committed to advancing evidence-based teaching practices. 
The CIRTL@UCLA program supports the professional and career development of graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty who are engaged in teaching now, or who are considering academic careers. 

CIRTL Scholar

Spring 2026

The third and highest level requires analyzing and presenting a teaching-as-research (TAR) project that was developed at the previous level.

My TAR project, “Technology as an Amplifier: Developing and Fostering Students’ Engagement” explored using multimodal content to better engaged students in their own learning. I presented at the CIRTL Network TAR Presentation Day on April 8th, 2026.

CIRTL Practitioner 

Spring 2024

This second level required developing and implementing a teaching-as-research (TAR) project. The process of completing a TAR project includes identifying a research question and designing an intervention to assess the effectiveness of that intervention.

CIRTL Associate

Winter 2024

This first level required formal training through courses in evidence-based teaching practices and participation (+40 hours) in professional development workshops through the CIRTL Network and/or teaching-focused communities. 

Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy

Winter 2026

The UCLA Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy (GCWP) is a professional development program that trains graduate students to teach writing effectively at the university level. It combines coursework (16 units) in writing pedagogy, teaching practice, and research-based approaches to composition instruction. 

As part of this program, I taught twice with the UCLA Clusters program, designing (using backwards design) and teaching my own writing seminar.