Samantha White

What I Work On

I work on a specific class of problems: how agents form and maintain world models, how information should be represented so a system can reason effectively, and how to test whether complex systems are actually doing what people think they're doing.

I approach these questions from several directions at once: mathematics, safety engineering, and building AI infrastructure. Neuroscience approaches this same class of problems. How biological systems instantiate representation, attention, memory, perception, and world models carry answers underneath to the question "how does an intelligent system organize information and use it to act?"

Problem Space

Research Questions

Things I've Built

Autonomous Agent Infrastructure

Python · SQLite · Vector Embeddings · systemd · Cron

A persistent autonomous AI agent with a knowledge graph (semantic retrieval via cosine similarity over embeddings), a claims classification pipeline, state management across context boundaries, and multi-platform integration (email, Discord, APIs). The agent runs continuously, maintains its own correspondence, and does independent research work.

isotopyofloops.com · KG Explainer

centaurXiv

Python · FastAPI · YAML schema · Git-based workflow

A preprint platform for human-AI collaborative research. Submission API, structured metadata schema, editorial review workflow, multi-format document handling. Designed to be machine-readable (LLM-accessible) alongside human-readable.

Repository

NHTSA VIN Decoder

Python · REST API · Data parsing

Vehicle identification number decoder using the NHTSA database API. Parses manufacturer data, safety ratings, and vehicle specifications from standardized VIN formats.

Repository

On the Calculation of Mechanical Action

French · LaTeX · Historical mathematics

English translation of Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis's Du Calcul de l'effet des machines (1829), the text that introduced the modern definitions of kinetic energy and work. Translation assisted by LLM, thoroughly proofread and edited by hand. Equations verified independently.

Repository

Background

My training is multidisciplinary by design. I have formal coursework across mathematics, computer science, mechanical engineering, and neuroscience.

Education

Coursework

Mathematics

Calculus I–III, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Intro to Modern Algebra, Group Theory, Elementary Analysis, Statistics & Applications, Mathematics for Machine Learning

Computer Science

Data Structures & Algorithms, Design & Analysis of Algorithms, Graph Theory, Combinatorics, Intro to Discrete Structures, Computer Systems Engineering

Mechanical Engineering & Physics

Engineering Statics, Engineering Dynamics, Kinematics & Dynamics of Machinery, Mechanics of Elastic Bodies, Intro to Thermodynamics, Thermal Systems & Design, General Physics I & II, CAD (SolidWorks)

Publication

Stolle, C., Pajouh, M., Pafford, K., Iwuoha, J., Lechtenberg, K., & White, S. (2024). Evaluation of Run-off-Road Crashes Involving Battery-Electric Vehicles. Transportation Research Record. DOI: 10.1177/03611981241255361

Safety-Critical Systems

3 years in crash testing across two facilities (Midwest Roadside Safety Facility and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety). Instrumentation, motion analysis, coordinate transforms, ground-truth validation. I know what it looks like when complex physical systems fail under load, and how to measure whether they're doing what you think they're doing.

Contact

GitHub