Desmond Hartigan-O'Connor

I am a high-school senior who is passionate about music, history, and scientific research. My academic work spans co-authored research in the history of U.S. soccer; a new strain of virus that infects rhesus monkeys; and machine learning. Beyond school, I care for a bevy of interesting pets and express myself through performing jazz piano and organ. Most recently I have started lessons in carillon (bell tower)!

2023 – Present

The College Preparatory School, Oakland, CA

High-school diploma (expected 2027)

Rigorous academic program with advanced coursework in history, English, mathematics, biology, and computer science.

Extracurriculars included Varsity Soccer x 4 years (captain of 24-player team; BCL Championship title; ranked #9 in state) and Speech and Debate x 4 years.

2022 – Present

Additional coursework

Multivariable Calculus (MATH 53), University of California, Berkeley (2026)
Plagues and Pandemics (MCELLBI 55), University of California, Berkeley (2026)
Introduction to R for Bioinformatics, University of California, Davis Bioinformatics Core (2026)
The Nature of Evil, Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes (2025)
Calculus 1 (XMATH 51), University of California, Berkeley Extension (2025)
CS50: Introduction to Computer Science, Harvard University via edX (2024)
Algebra II, Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (2022)

Summer 2026

Sparger Laboratory, University of California, Davis

Student Assistant 2

Contributed to graduate student-led projects on rhesus rhadinovirus (co-authored manuscript submitted to Frontiers in Immunology) and myotropic adenovirus for improved vaccines
Learned laboratory techniques including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), gel electrophoresis, Agilent Bioanalyzer, molecular cloning, DNA preparation, cell culture, transfection, and light microscopy
Applied bioinformatic techniques to create phylograms and cladograms for a new rhesus rhadinovirus strain
Completed trainings in chemical, biological, and workplace safety

Spring 2026

Tendel Therapies Inc.

Bioinformatics Intern

Attended laboratory meetings and journal clubs
Learned bioinformatic techniques including sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses, using MEGA, MUSCLE/MAFFT, and IQ-TREE

Spring and Summer 2026

Algoverse

Participant and junior researcher

Investigated modality encoding in the parameters of large language models (co-authored abstract submitted to IEEE 2027 Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision)
Using PyTorch (Python) wrote programs to submit probes to models and collect output
Summarized information about modality-dependent information retained at various layers of the Transformer

Spring 2024 – Present

Mathnasium

Instructor

Teach grade-school and middle-school students basic mathematics
Track and organize student records to monitor progress

Summer 2024, Summer 2025

Camp Loma Mar

Leader in Training

Taught children ages 5-13 team-building skills
Led outdoor group activities like hiking, soccer, and other games
Learned team-building skills
Acquired leadership skills such as organizing games, keeping kids on task, and resolving disputes

Summer 2024

KCC (Kensington Community Council) Summer Camp

Counselor in Training

Led group activities for elementary-school-age children like capture-the-flag, card games, and hide-and-seek
Assisted head counselors with extra jobs when needed
Learned conflict management skills

January 2027 (anticipated)

IEEE Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision

Latent Visual Reasoning: Perception, Imagination, and Multimodal Thought (Workshop)

February 2026

San Francisco Chapter of the American Guild of Organists

Presidents' Day mini-convention

Pets

Owner, feeder, and trainer of parakeets, snakes, shrimp, fish, and corals

Music

Jazz piano x 10 years

Performed at school concerts (MS-HS) and California Jazz Academy
Studied improvisation, theory, and jazz history
Jazz Band, Jazz Combo

Classical/jazz organist x 2 years

Lessons and church performances, 2025 – Present
MPulse Summer Performing Arts Institute for organ, University of Michigan, 2026 (played the Marilyn Mason Organ)

Jazz trumpet

Carillon lessons and playing, including U. Michigan’s Lurie Tower

Extracurricular

Varsity speech (Extemporaneous)

NSDA Degree of Excellence
Finalist at Stanford Invitational, GGSA, Springboard, GA Speech Series

Volunteering

Oakland Public Schools

Taught after-care classes to enrich students' education in physics, math, and reading

Other

Computer languages: Python and PyTorch, R, C, Javascript, HTML

Computer programs: MEGA, Microsoft Word, Google Sheets, Google Docs

Intermediate Spanish

History

Hartigan-O’Connor, D. P. (2026). Americanizing the Beautiful Game: The NASL and America’s Failed Bid for Cold War Soccer Dominance. The Concord Review. (Submitted / Under Review)

Immunology

Huynh, K. N., LeSon, J., Kalavacherla, S., Hartigan-O’Connor, D. P., Dutra, J., Chin, N., Le, V., Andal, D. R., Fontaine, J., Chang, W. L. W., and Deere, J. D. (2026). Neutralizing vaccination against viral interleukin-6 from a primate rhadinovirus. Frontiers in Immunology. (Submitted / Under Review)

AI and ML

Hartigan-O’Connor, D. P., et al. (2026). On Modality Awareness in Vision-Language Models. To be presented at Winter Conference on Applications of Computer Vision (WACV) 2027: Latent Visual Reasoning: Perception, Imagination, and Multimodal Thought.

Education