When Wei Sun arrived at UC Berkeley as a visiting student researcher, he came with expertise in a niche field: server infrastructure and quality engineering. Today, that background helps shape his work on one of the most pressing environmental challenges-understanding how artificial intelligence can help predict and respond to climate-impacted water issues.
While based in Taiwan, Sun spent the 2025-2026 academic year as a visiting student researcher in the UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management (ESPM). His focus is on Environmental Science (specifically groundwater forecasting using AI), and he came to California hoping to deepen the interdisciplinary aspect of his work, which could broaden how we think about climate solutions.
Sun is A PhD candidate at National Taiwan University, supported by Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council, and a Fulbright fellow, but previously worked in quality control at Wiwynn Corporation. His experience gave him firsthand insight into the infrastructure behind emerging technologies and AI systems. "I understand a little about the power of AI and the infrastructure, so I try to leverage that expertise toward environmental issues and climate change."
Wei’s research at Berkeley focuses on forecasting groundwater levels using artificial neural networks, a form of AI that can identify patterns and make predictions based on complex data. His work aims to improve the understanding of water availability under various climate change conditions. The project is deeply connected to environmental concerns in Taiwan, where land subsidence is a growing issue. Excessive groundwater extraction has caused land to subside over time, affecting both infrastructure and communities.
Sun deeply appreciates the interdisciplinary and global approach at ESPM. For example, he chose to audit an economics class out of personal interest to expand his interdisciplinary perspective, which he said expanded his thinking beyond science and engineering. "My study is related to water resources and AI techniques, but actually, I am not really familiar with economics," he said. "This really helped me understand more."
As Sun prepares to return to Taiwan at the end of his research stay at Berkeley, he hopes to bring both research and inspiration back home with him. He especially hopes to strengthen connections between Taiwanese and UC Berkeley students, encouraging them to expand their opportunities. "Ultimately, when I come back to Taiwan, I try to inspire more students from Taiwan to come to Berkeley," he said, "to experience that incredible interdisciplinary environment."