Sen Zhang never set out to be an entrepreneur. When he enrolled at the University of South Carolina (USC) to earn his undergraduate degree in computer science, the Zhengzhong, China, native intended to pursue a traditional career or go on to earn a PhD.
Five years and two degrees later, he is the CEO/CTO of Sketch3D.ai, an AI startup he co-founded with industry colleagues from Duke University. Designed for independent game developers, gaming students, and hobbyists, the AI-powered tool transforms 2D sketches into 3D models.
“Developing a game is typically a time-consuming process requiring collaboration among level designers, programmers, 3D modelers, and artists, each with their own specialized skills,” Sen said. “Our goal is to lower this barrier by creating a platform where even those without coding or 3D-modeling expertise can design levels, build scenes, or prototype games quickly. For students, Sketch3D.ai can accelerate learning that might otherwise take four to five years, and for studios, it can cut down weeks of testing and iteration into just minutes.”
Getting on Track with Research Opportunities at USC
In Spring 2020, Sen enrolled at USC through Shorelight’s International Accelerator Program (IAP), a specialized first-year support program designed to help international students improve their English skills, acclimate to life on campus, and prepare for a career search.
Set on a picturesque campus in Columbia, South Carolina, USC is home to the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC), ranked #81 on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Engineering Schools (2026) list.
With $70-plus million in research funding, MCEC has more than 400 study projects in a range of areas, including cybersecurity, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
As an undergraduate computer science major, Sen took full advantage of the school’s research opportunities by becoming a research assistant at the Integrated Multiphysics & Systems Engineering Laboratory (iMSEL).
At iMSEL, Sen worked on a railway safety project funded by the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration. Led by professors Yi Wang and Yu Qian, the team developed lightweight AI-based vision models to detect safety issues with missing railroad spikes and clips.
“Traditionally, this work required people to manually count each track component,” he explained. “With our model, a camera mounted on a railway car could automatically capture and analyze the track, providing accurate counts of spikes and clips and improving efficiency by reducing manual labor.” His time at iMSEL not only provided hands-on research experience and training to build his resume, but also led to a cherished mentor relationship and a newfound passion for AI-based models. “This experience was my first true exposure to AI models and computer vision research, as I had not yet taken formal courses in these areas,” he said. “Most of my knowledge came directly from my mentor Jiawei Guo.”
Sen also credited Guo with building his confidence and problem-solving skills. “One of the things I appreciated most was how he communicated,” said Sen. “Instead of giving strict deadlines, he would often say, ‘This task is yours to handle,’ which gave me a sense of trust and ownership rather than feeling like I was just following orders. When challenges arose, he encouraged me to find solutions independently, often reminding me: ‘Go think of a way, go figure it out.’ That approach not only built my confidence, but also helped me grow as a problem-solver.”
Game on in Columbia
Despite a lot of hard work, Sen found many ways to get involved on campus — and have fun!
Passionate about competitive online gaming, he joined the eSports student club. A leader in the making, Sen became a team captain, organized an intercollegiate League of Legends tournament, and led his team to a championship.
Sen also tutored international students in math and began mentoring IAP students.
“Having arrived in the US myself before turning 18, I understood the fear and uncertainty that comes with such a transition,” he said. “Being able to share my experience and support new students as they adjusted to their new environment was very rewarding.”
“I had a very enriching student life,” he said about his undergraduate experience. “What I cherished the most were not the big achievements, but the small moments on campus. I loved sitting on the bench by the library fountain at noon, often catching sight of rainbows in the spray, and watching beautiful sunsets from the top floor of the IBM building’s parking deck.” And, of course, there is USC’s famous welcoming spirit. “I felt a sense of closeness and warmth in relationships that I later realized was unique to USC,” he said. “I believe everyone has their own reasons to love USC, and for me, it was this combination of experiences, people, and atmosphere that made my time truly memorable.”
Next Stop: Johns Hopkins University
In 2023, with his December graduation fast approaching, Sen actively looked for a job. But after a few disappointments, he pivoted toward graduate school instead.
Because he preferred to enroll in a computer science master’s program in January, he focused exclusively on graduate schools that offered spring starts. He applied to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the University of Southern California, Washington University, Northeastern University, Georgetown University, and Rice University, and was accepted at all six schools.
Ultimately, he chose Johns Hopkins due its academic reputation. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, JHU is ranked #14 globally by U.S. News & World Report, #24 by QS World University Rankings, #17 by AWRU, and #16 by Times Higher Education.
Once again, Sen pursued research opportunities, joining the Dwight Bergles Lab at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He worked on an AI-driven medical image analysis project aimed at identifying and characterizing oligodendrocyte cells, which play a role in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
“What made this project meaningful was realizing just how broad the applications of AI can be,” he said. “Medical imaging is particularly challenging. Cells are dynamic, constantly moving, and cannot be imaged repeatedly in the same way. The complexity made the project difficult, but also very rewarding.”
Adding it All Up: Advice for Computer Science Majors
When pursuing a career in STEM or AI, Sen believes that classroom knowledge is important — but he also says to go beyond the books.
“In terms of academics, focus on building a strong foundation in mathematics because, at its core, advanced AI is essentially applied math, and computers themselves originated as large calculators,” he said. “Keep learning new technologies and stay up to date. For example, Google’s own programming language, Go, is rarely covered in courses, but knowing it could help you stand out in a Google interview. Never stop learning — AI is a rapidly evolving field, and continuous curiosity and growth are essential.”
Another top piece of advice for international students is to have a confident mindset.
“Always believe in yourself,” said Sen. “When no one is there to encourage you, you must encourage yourself. If you give up on yourself, no amount of support from others will help. For entrepreneurs, the challenges are different — investor skepticism, industry doubts, and constant questions about your ideas. I believe mindset is the most important tool to overcome them. As a Chinese film by Jiang Wen says, “You Are the Best!”
Modeling His Future
After graduating from Johns Hopkins in May 2025, Sen moved to Durham, North Carolina, to build his startup with colleagues from the student entrepreneurship group, Duke CEO.
Sen’s time at USC has played a significant role in the AI startup. A dear friend and former USC classmate works with him on Sketch3D’s technical product development, his mentor Jiawei Guo provides guidance on the platform’s language model design, and Dr. Yi Wang, his former project lead at iMSEL, is an advisor.
“In the long term, we envision building an AI-powered companion to Unity — a ‘ChatGPT for game development’ — where developers can describe ideas in natural language and generate entire scenes or even games,” he said of the 10-person startup. “Our vision is to complete seed funding within the next year, scale development based on user feedback, and ultimately position the company for a successful exit, either through acquisition or IPO.” Sen may not have set out to be an entrepreneur, but thanks to his study abroad experience, he is one now.
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