Wesley Woo
About me
Currently, I am a fifth year PhD student at Virginia Tech's Department of Computer Science, where I am advised by Prof. Shaddi Hasan in the SPIN (Systems, People, Infrastructure, and Networks) Lab.
Broadly, I'm interested in the potential for technology to upend inherited, unjust structures of power.
Recently, I've been researching the dynamics of digital exclusion and inclusion in rural Indigenous communities; the redesign of cellular networks for better performance at the edge; and the scaling properties of low-earth orbit satellite access networks.
Some papers/projects that interest me right now are:
- Cellbricks | What could an open cellular ecosystem look like?
- Technology as Amplifier | How does technology magnify existing institutional forces in the field of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD)?
- Magma | How can software defined networking principles lower the cost and complexity of cellular networks?
- Network capacity as a common pool resource | What are alternative ways of thinking about network management, inspired by community owned architecture?
Before VT, I completed a B.S and M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT in 2019 and 2022, respectively.
My thesis research was on developing an end-to-end data collection and management system for a community wireless network in Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.
It can be found here.
Recent Work
EnCoR: An End-to-end Architecture for Simplifying Cellular Networks
Improving cellular network deployment and performance at the edge by pushing mobility support to the edge.
Wesley Woo, Zhuowei Wen, Monniiesh Velmurugan, Richard Raad, Sylvia Ratnasamy, Scott Shenker, Shaddi Hasan.
arXiv - under submission
CPX: An Edge-based Design for Cellular Roaming
Revolutionizing the cellular roaming infrastructure by using the public Internet.
Tenzin Samten Ukyab, Wesley Woo, Shaddi Hasan, Sylvia Ratnasamy, Scott Shenker.
NSDI 2027
Beyond the Cone Model: Quantifying the Impact of Beam-Level Constraints on LEO Satellite Networks
Identifying the conditions under which current approaches to estimating LEO constellation coverage and capacity diverge from higher-fidelity, hardware-aware modeling approaches.
Wesley Woo, Tenzin Samten Ukyab, Juan A. Fraire, Sylvia Ratnasamy, Scott Shenker, Shaddi Hasan.
LEO-Nets '25' - Aug 17, 2026
Anyone, Anywhere, not Everyone Everywhere: Starlink Doesn't End the Digital Divide
Evaluating Starlink's capacity to close the digital divide using FCC and Census data on Internet service availability, Starlink satellite RF design, and household income in the United States.
Wesley Woo, Tenzin Samten Ukyab, Juan A. Fraire, Sylvia Ratnasamy, Scott Shenker, Shaddi Hasan.
HotNets '25 - Nov 17, 2025
What's my Daily Value?
Exploring the social nature of home Internet service purchasing among older adults around Blacksburg, VA.
Wesley Woo, Shaddi Hasan.
SNIP2+ Workshop at SIGCOMM23 - Sept. 10, 2023
Other News
Aug 2026 I finished my summer employment with Nez Perce Network Systems.
Aug 2026 I presented "Beyond the Cone Model" at LEO-Nets at SIGCOMM '26.
July 2026 I was invited to serve as a panelist at the Open Knowledge Foundation's SkyCommons Observatory launch. Thanks for having me!
May 2026 I received the 2026 Dr. Richard Nance Graduate Fellowship Award recognizing outstanding graduate students who have advanced to doctoral candidacy. Thank you CS@VT!
May 2026 I passed my preliminary exam. Thank you Shaddi, Sylvia, Morgan, Finda, and Dan!
Nov 2025 I presented "Anyone Anywhere" at HotNets 2025.
Jan 2024 I passed my qualifying exam.
Aug 2023 Virginia Tech Club Soccer won Region 2 and finished the season as national runners up. Thank you VT Club Soccer!
Aug 2023 I presented "What's my Daily Value?" at SNIP2+ at SIGCOMM '23.
Aug 2022 I received a 2022 ICTAS Doctoral Fellowship to support my first four years of scholarship at Virginia Tech. Thank you ICTAS!
Previous Projects
While at MIT, I worked with Prof. Sarah Williams in the Civic Data Design Lab and Levanthal Center for Advanced Urbanism.
With Prof. Williams, I worked on:
- Living Data Hubs | Leveraging community networks to address the critical data gap in informal communities
- Living Heritage Atlas | Documenting the social heritage of Beirut's craftsmanship
- PREACT | Designing a community-centered climate resilience tool for residents of Philadelphia
During the spring of 2022, I was a fellow with MIT's PKG Public Service Center, researching data equity frameworks for the City of Cambridge's open data.
During the fall of 2020, I worked with the Stanford/Packard Global Child Health Program, researching funding for neonatal child health in L3 crisis countries.
Some of my other work experiences include assistant coaching MIT's Varsity Men's Soccer team and interning at Audible, Amazon, and ASML.
Extracurricular Interests
Outside of research, I enjoy exploring new ideas and experiences through books, film, food, travel, and meeting new people.
I also love playing and watching soccer!