Tommy S. Liu

Education

2026 – 2029

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

B.S. Electrical Engineering, Minor in Computer Science
2022 – 2026

Monta Vista High School

High School Diploma

10–12 GPA: 3.98 / 4.00 · UC GPA: 4.00 / 4.28 / 4.64 (unweighted / capped / uncapped)

2× AP Scholar with Distinction. Scored 5s on 10 AP exams, including Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism, and Calculus BC.

Projects

Schematic of the oscilloscope analog front end — Analog front end: AC/DC selection, voltage division with frequency compensation, then two amplifier stages into the ADC. View full size.

Aug 2024 – May 2025 · Published in EDN

Low-Cost High-Precision Digital Oscilloscope Using Analog/Digital Signal Processing

Designed and built a low cost digital oscilloscope aimed at making electronics more accessible to high school students. Improved the base model oscilloscope's effective resolution through analog and digital signal processing techniques, achieving the following specifications:

8 to >10 bitsENOB, DC to 20kHz

<$50final BOM cost

This project was featured as a two-part design idea article in Electronic Design News (EDN) and won awards from MIT and IEEE.

EDN, Part 1 EDN, Part 2 Project notebook

Bench setup with a turbine, supercapacitor and oscilloscope — Bench test: harvested energy charging a supercapacitor, captured on the scope.

Jun 2025 – Jun 2026 · UC Merced PANSLAB · Published in EDN

Batteryless Mobile PM2.5 Air Quality Monitoring System

Designed the sensing and power-generation circuits for a batteryless, mobile particulate matter monitor, built for a state-sponsored effort to map community air quality across California's Central Valley. The system runs on harvested energy instead of batteries, so units can be deployed and left in place without service visits.

25% lowertotal system power

Batterylessruns on harvested energy

The design was published in Electronic Design News (EDN) in January 2026.

EDN article PANSLAB

Publications, Electronic Design News design ideas

Jan 20, 2026Sensing and power-generation circuits for a batteryless mobile PM2.5 monitoring system
Apr 14, 2025Building a low-cost, precision digital oscilloscope, Part 2
Apr 2, 2025Building a low-cost, precision digital oscilloscope, Part 1

Experience

University of California, Merced · PANSLAB
Jun 2025 – Jun 2026

Research Intern

Worked with Professor Shijia Pan's research team on a state-sponsored project to deploy scalable, batteryless air quality monitoring networks across California's Central Valley. Designed and optimized low-power particulate matter sensing systems, improved sensor system lifetime, and lowered total power consumption by about 25% for community air-quality mapping.

Lab website
Y Combinator, Startup School 2026
Jul 25 – 26, 2026

events.ycombinator.com
USA Mathematical Olympiad, UC Berkeley
Mar 20 – 21, 2026

Thank you Jane Street and Citadel Securities for the free merch!

Feel free to try the 2026 USA(J)MO problems. Don't worry if you cannot solve a single one, since the USAMO is often almost as difficult as the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the hardest pre-college mathematics exam in the world.

2026 USA(J)MO problems
University of California, Los Angeles · Los Angeles Computing Circle
Jul – Aug 2024

A free but selective summer program led by UCLA's ECE Department, where high school students explore AI, algorithms, data structures, communications, developing apps, and computing theory through hands-on labs and faculty-led lectures. Participated in the 2024 program.

Program website

Awards & honors

USA Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO)

2026

Top 250 of an initial pool of over 100,000

Qualifier. The proof-based final round of the AMC and AIME selection sequence.

USA Physics Olympiad (USAPhO)

2025

Distinction top ~400 in the country

Recognized on the USAPhO honors list, the written round that follows the F=ma exam.

American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME)

2024 – 2026

3 years qualified in a row

The invitational round following the AMC 10/12, in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

IEEE Technical Excellence Award

2025

1 of 35 from over 1,000 projects

For "outstanding science projects pertaining to technology and the general sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics" at the 2025 Synopsys Science Fair.

MIT THINK Scholar, Semifinalist

2025

1 of 14 from roughly 800 projects

Selected in the 2025 cycle of MIT's national research program for high school students.

Electronic Design News

2025 – 2026

3 articles published

Three design ideas in a professional electronics engineering publication, before starting college.

William T. Pascoe III Memorial Engineering Scholarship

2026

$40,000 merit scholarship

Awarded by UIUC on admission.

ECE Grainger Engineering James Scholar

2026

Honors UIUC ECE department

Honors designation in UIUC's Electrical and Computer Engineering department.

News

Mar 3, 2026Invited to compete in the 2026 United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO)
Feb 20, 2026Named an ECE Grainger Engineering James Scholar and awarded the William T. Pascoe III Memorial Engineering Scholarship
Jan 20, 2026My air quality sensing system research with PANSLAB was published in Electronic Design News (EDN)
Dec 15, 2025Invited to compete in the 2026 American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME)
Jun 9, 2025Started my research intern position at UC Merced's PANSLAB
May 12, 2025Awarded Distinction on the USA Physics Olympiad
Apr 14, 2025Second part of my low-cost oscilloscope design idea published in EDN
Apr 2, 2025First part of my low-cost oscilloscope design idea published in EDN
Mar 23, 2025Awarded the IEEE Technical Excellence Award at the 2025 Synopsys Science Fair
Mar 14, 2025Invited to compete in the 2025 USA Physics Olympiad
Jan 29, 2025Selected as an MIT THINK Scholar Semifinalist
Dec 13, 2024Invited to compete in the 2025 American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME)

Violin

When I say I love violin, I mean it. In my opinion, classical music is the best music.

I have been studying violin with Dr. Arthur Mikhailov since the age of five (12 years). Dr. Mikhailov graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory, previously directed the Moscow Conservatory Chamber Orchestra, and is currently the Head of the String Department at the Pacific Music Academy (PMA) in California.

I currently serve as the Principal First Violin and lead the string section of the PMA Youth Chamber Orchestra.

Notable repertoire

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (complete, mvt. I to III)
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 (mvt. I)
Paganini: 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, No. 15, 16, 18, 24
Bach: Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001 (complete: Adagio, Fuga, Siciliana, Presto)
Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy, Op. 25 (mvt. I to II)
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216 (mvt. I)
Wieniawski: Polonaise de Concert in D major, Op. 4
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs), Op. 20
Shostakovich: Prelude in D minor, Op. 34 No. 24
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050 (solo violinist and string leader)

Competition awards, 2013 to present

US International Open Music Competition1st Place, Violin, 2024 (2×)1st Place, Violin, 20233rd Place, Violin, 2023
US Open Music Competition2nd Place, Chamber Orchestra, 20254th Place, Violin, 2023
Pelican International Music Competition1st Place, Violin, 2023 and 2022
San Francisco International Innovative Music Competition2nd Place, 2025
Junior Bach FestivalWinner's Concert, Selected Performer, 2025
MTAC Certificate of MeritViolin, Advanced Level, State Honors, 2022