Harvey Mudd Student Kerria Pang-Naylor Earns Prestigious CRA Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award
January 17, 2025Kerria Pang-Naylor, a senior majoring in computer science and mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, has been named one of eight recipients of the Computing Research Association (CRA) Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award for 2025. This prestigious honor recognizes undergraduate students in North American colleges and universities who demonstrate exceptional research potential in computing.
Pang-Naylor’s research in artificial intelligence focuses on developing robust models for abductive inference—reasoning that draws the most likely cause from limited observations. Her work explores fundamental approaches to error guarantees in this field, an area relevant to advancing machine learning and AI applications.
Her extensive research portfolio includes contributions in Heather Zinn-Brooks’ lab, where she analyzed information cascades and social media datasets, and in George Montañez’s AMISTAD Lab, where she tackled probabilistic inference and machine learning theory. Recently, she co-authored papers with Ian Li ’25 and Kishore Rajesh ’25, proposing a quantitative framework for selective abduction, and with Eric Chen ’24, exploring inductive orientation vectors as a model characterization tool.
Outside her research, Pang-Naylor is a tutor for computer science and mathematics courses, exemplifying her commitment to academic excellence and community impact.
As part of the award, Pang-Naylor will receive financial support of up to $1,500 to attend a research conference of her choice. Reflecting on her future, she plans to pursue a PhD in applied mathematics or computer science, with a focus on machine learning theory, optimization, and probabilistic inference.
Pang-Naylor joins a select group of Harvey Mudd students who consistently excel in national competitions. Maxine Liu ’25 (computer science and mathematics), another exemplary student, was recognized as a finalist for this year’s CRA awards.
This recognition underscores Harvey Mudd College’s commitment to fostering innovative research and supporting students as they make significant contributions to STEM fields.