By Kimberly Mann Bruch
Daniel Warren came to UC San Diego to study data science — and in doing so gained the kind of hands-on experience that translates from the classroom to the high-stakes world of autonomous racing. Having started out at Santa Barbara City College, Daniel transferred to the University of California San Diego, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in data science from the Halicioğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI) — part of the School of Computing, Information, and Data Sciences (SCIDS) — in June 2025.
Daniel’s capstone project gave him real-world experience solving complex data problems applied to robotics — and opened doors to work directly with innovative companies and mentors. During his capstone Daniel led his team in a project that significantly contributed to UC San Diego winning the Autonomous Karting Series at Purdue University, an international university level autonomous evGoKart competition.
Daniel Warren was a key contributor to the UC San Diego Team to win the Autonomous Karting Series (AKS) in 2025 at Purdue University.
This experience allowed Daniel to find something many students search for: a clear bridge between what you learn and what you can build. That is, Daniel was selected for PiP (Programming in Paradise), an opportunity for students and recent graduates to focus their work on autonomous vehicles projects with Maui’s AI Racing Tech (ART) — an umbrella organization pioneering autonomous racing at breakneck speeds. Led by Gary Passon, AI Motorsports team principal, the PiP is affiliated with both UC San Diego where Jack Silberman is a principal investigator and UC Berkeley, where Passon holds an appointment as Univ of Calif Berkeley Motorsports Team Principal and co-Principal Investigator.
“We have been pleased to work with Daniel as part of the legacy of UC San Diego providing talents to ART,” Passon said. “He brings excellent work ethic and skills at making the projects he is responsible for work.”
From Classroom to Race Track: Real-World Impact of Data Science
Daniel’s capstone project, which was part of an HDSI class taught by Silberman, was more than an academic exercise. As part of PiP and the Indy Autonomous Challenge Teams, he and his peers learned to program and precisely operate autonomous vehicles, sometimes pushing speeds over 160 mph — nearly double what leading autopilot systems like Tesla allow.
“I love teaching and mentoring students at HDSI! It’s incredible to see how quickly those with no robotics experience get up to speed,” said Silberman, who is a lecturer at HDSI as well as the Jacobs School of Engineering. “In just two academic quarters, they’re already contributing to our autonomous vehicle racing team as part of a multi-departmental effort. It is incredibly rewarding to see students like Daniel and others from HDSI embrace robotics and contribute to both the UCSD Inter-University Autonomous Karting Series and the Indy Autonomous Challenge Teams.”
The PiP journey includes competitive moments at Laguna Seca (outside Monterey, CA), where they faced worldwide teams and later returned to fine-tune their systems. The knowledge gained from such high-stakes environments directly translates to careers in robotics, software engineering and advanced data analytics — reinforcing the urgent need for continuing this kind of hands-on training.
This is a cut from the last competition at Laguna Seca (outside of Monterey) where the team competed against worldwide teams. Later, they went back to fine-tune their systems.
Mentorship and Career Pathways: Why Industry Involvement Matters
The collaboration between HDSI and industry partners — like AI Racing Tech and PiP — demonstrates a successful talent pipeline linking education to meaningful careers.
“Jack Silberman has been my HDSI mentor and is an amazing professor who offered me this opportunity and I would not be here without him,” Daniel said. “Under Jack’s guidance, and with the support of industry partners, I was able to join the Programming in Paradise (PiP) initiative in September 2025 where we get to work in autonomous vehicles from Maui, Hawaii; no kidding.”
By extending the PiP program for another three months, students can then either pursue advanced degrees (such as a master’s) or enter the workforce equipped with rare skills and experiences. Daniel’s story is evidence that sustained support and mentorship make a difference: students gain professional readiness and industry partners find new talent to address complex technical, business and societal challenges.
