New York · Building at Probook
AI systems · Education · Engineering leadership

Christian Yongwhan Lim

Building AI systems, technical organizations, and the next generation of engineers.

  • Chief Architect · Probook
  • Adjunct, Computer Science · Columbia University
  • Director of Internships · ICPC Foundation
  • Formerly Google Research & Two Sigma
Christian Yongwhan Lim at Probook
639+
Research citations
428+
Columbia competitive programming members
107
ICPC internships completed
17
Universities — invited talks
14×
Courses taught at Columbia
ICPC World Finals teams coached

Mission

I build systems that help people solve hard problems at scale.

Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by a simple belief: exceptional people, equipped with the right tools, communities, and opportunities, can accomplish extraordinary things. Whether through AI, education, infrastructure, or competitive programming, I enjoy building systems and organizations where talent can grow, collaborate, and compound over time.

Today, I serve as Chief Architect at Probook, where I help build AI-native systems that transform how home service businesses operate. Previously, I worked at Google Research and Two Sigma, developing infrastructure and platforms that enabled large-scale research, machine learning, and decision-making.

Beyond industry, I’ve spent more than a decade investing in technical talent development. I teach Computer Science at Columbia University, serve as Director of Internships at the ICPC Foundation, coach ICPC and IOI teams worldwide, and help organize international programming competitions, training camps, and educational initiatives.

If you’re building ambitious products, advancing AI, strengthening technical communities, or investing in the next generation of builders and researchers, I’d be happy to connect.

Current Focus

2026

Impact at a Glance

A career across systems and people
Compounding reach

Research, education, and community — built to reinforce one another.

Each area is a different expression of the same work: creating reliable systems, widening access to opportunity, and helping technical talent grow.

How the Work Connects

Systems · People · Scale
Core principle Build systems that help people solve hard problems.
AI

Intelligent Systems

Agentic workflows, real-time speech, infrastructure, and reliable execution.

ED

Education

Curriculum, deliberate practice, teaching, and technical talent development.

CP

Community

Competitions, camps, mentorship networks, and institutions that compound.

Selected Impact

Current Appointments & Leadership

Industry

Probook

  • Chief Architect
ICPC

International Collegiate Programming Contest

  • Director of Internships, ICPC Foundation
  • Chair, ICPC CLI Symposium
  • Senior Editor, The Journal of Competitive Learning
  • Chief Judge, ICPC North America Mid-Central
  • Co-Chair, Curriculum Committee
  • Co-Organizer, ICPC North America Programming Camp — Online
  • Site Director, ICPC North America Greater New York Regional
  • Coach, Columbia University
IOI

International Olympiad in Informatics

  • Trainer, Team Pakistan
Academia

Columbia University

  • Adjunct, Department of Computer Science
Alumni leadership

Stanford University

  • Co-Chair, Class of 2011 15th Reunion Campaign
  • Co-Chair, Attendance and Outreach, Stanford Reunion Homecoming
  • Board of Directors, Asian Pacific American Alumni Club — Co-President (2026–); Chair, Advocacy and Education Committee (2025–2026)

Trajectory

  1. Present

    Chief Architect — Probook

    AI-native systems for home service businesses: real-time speech, LLMs, and the infrastructure behind them.

  2. 2025 — Present

    Director of Internships — ICPC Foundation

    Leading the global internship program: 107 completions and 19+ active interns across archive, journal, systems, and training projects. Program manager since 2022.

  3. 2022 — Present

    Adjunct & ICPC Coach — Columbia University

    Fourteen course offerings through Fall 2026; coached Columbia teams to the 2022 and 2024 ICPC World Finals.

  4. 2022 — 2023

    Senior Quantitative Software Engineer — Two Sigma

    Quantitative platforms and large-scale decision-making infrastructure.

  5. 2016 — 2022

    Research Software Engineer — Google Research

    Infrastructure and platforms enabling large-scale research and machine learning.

  6. 2013 — 2016

    PhD Studies — MIT

    Advised by Asuman Ozdaglar; research on networks and cascades. On leave since 2016.

  7. 2007 — 2013

    BS & MS — Stanford University

    BS ’11 in Mathematics and Computer Science (double major); MS ’13 in Computer Science. Advised by Fei-Fei Li (CS) and Persi Diaconis (Math).

Selected Awards

Nov 2025

Outstanding Problem Advisory — Taking the Field Medal

ICPC Challenge powered by Huawei

Nov 2025 & Oct 2024

Outstanding Mentorship Award — Quatrefoil Medal

ICPC Challenge powered by Huawei — awarded twice

May 2024

Silver Medal (3rd Place) — Team Coach

2024 ICPC North America Championship

May 2023

Excellence in Leadership Award

ICPC North America

Education

2013 — 2016

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

PhD studies (on leave since Fall 2016) · Advisor: Asuman Ozdaglar

2007 — 2013

Stanford University

BS ’11, Mathematics + Computer Science (double major); MS ’13, Computer Science · Advisors: Fei-Fei Li (CS) & Persi Diaconis (Math)