Information Technology Officer · Graduate Researcher

Jotham Hernandez

Advancing digital government through trustworthy AI and resilient public-sector ICT infrastructure.

View Publications Selected work Curriculum vitae
WorldSkills
Philippine Expert, Web Technologies
Handong Global University
Graduate Student Researcher, ICT Convergence
Amazon Web Services
Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
Portrait of Jotham Hernandez
Open to research collaborationInformation Technology Officer I at TESDA, Philippines

Institutions & credentialing bodies

  • TESDA
  • Handong Global University
  • WorldSkills
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Microsoft
  • Cisco

12+

Years building ICT systems

12

Verified credentials

2

WorldSkills world competitions

5

Active research directions

§ 01 — About

Synthesizing Practical Systems with Institutional Knowledge

My professional journey has evolved from a foundation in web development and IT education to leading public-sector ICT transformation and cloud systems architecture. As an Information Technology Officer, I bridge the gap between building resilient digital infrastructures and the strategic frameworks that govern them.

Currently pursuing a Master's degree in Policy Competency in ICT Convergence at Handong Global University, my research trajectory focuses on how institutions can leverage AI-enabled systems and digital government policies to create sustainable, human-centered ecosystems.

Outside of my professional and academic pursuits, I remain a lifelong student of technology, constantly exploring the latest in cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity.

§ 02 — Research

Research directions

Five threads, one question: how can institutions adopt AI and digital infrastructure in ways people can understand and trust?

  1. 01

    Retrieval-Augmented Generation and Knowledge Graphs

    Researching hybrid retrieval methods that combine semantic search with graph-based reasoning for more explainable and context-aware AI systems, including published work on graph-validated retrieval for occupation-skill mapping.

    RAGKnowledge GraphAIInformation Retrieval
  2. 02

    Digital Government and ICT Policy

    Investigating policy frameworks and technical implementations that drive efficient, transparent, and inclusive digital public services.

    Digital TransformationICT PolicyGovernance
  3. 03

    Labor-Market and Skills Intelligence Systems

    Developing data-driven models for mapping and analyzing the evolving landscape of workforce skills and occupational requirements.

    Labor MarketSkills MappingData Analytics
  4. 04

    Cloud Infrastructure and Public-Sector Systems

    Researching scalable, secure, and cost-effective cloud-native architectures tailored for government and institutional operations.

    Cloud NativeInfrastructurePublic Sector
  5. 05

    Human-Computer Interaction / XR and Learning Analytics

    Exploring immersive technologies and data analytics to enhance educational experiences and understand learner behavior.

    HCIXREdTechAnalytics

§ 03 — Publications

Research writing

Google Scholar ORCID
Journal Article · 2026Published

Graph-Validated Retrieval for Occupation-Skill Mapping in a HybridRAG Prototype

Sungbae Jo, Jotham M. Hernandez, Yunseon Kim, Dongkyun Kim — International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication, 18(5), 352–366

SummaryAdds a graph validation step to vector retrieval, using a knowledge graph built from the Singapore Qualification Framework. Across 87,664 query-target pairs, Precision@1 rose from 0.739 to 0.928 and MRR from 0.804 to 0.928, at a cost of about 6 ms in average latency. The validator returned no candidate for 7.2% of queries.

DOI ↗#HybridRAG#KnowledgeGraph#Occupation-SkillMapping#WorkforceIntelligence
Working Paper · 2025In Progress

Digital Government and AI Readiness in Public-Sector Institutions

J. Hernandez — Working Paper

An analysis of the policy and technical requirements for AI integration in public-sector institutions.

#DigitalGovernment#AIReadiness#PublicPolicy
Case Study · 2025Concept

ICT Infrastructure and Public-Sector Systems in Developing Nations

J. Hernandez — Case study

A review of modern cloud-native architectures for government service delivery in developing nations.

#CloudInfrastructure#PublicSector#DigitalTransformation

§ 04 — Projects

Selected projects

Research prototypes, institutional frameworks, and production systems delivered for real-world use.

Skills Bridge Project — project visual
Research Project · 2026In ProgressFeatured

Skills Bridge Project

Role — Researcher / Developer

A Hybrid RAG and knowledge graph system for occupation-skills mapping.

This project explores multi-source data ingestion, dense vector retrieval, graph-based reasoning, and API-based access for labor-market intelligence.

Supports structured analysis of occupation-skill relationships for workforce intelligence.

PythonNeo4jPostgreSQLVector DatabaseRAGKnowledge Graph
Visit live
Digital Government AI Readiness — project visual
Research Project · 2025ConceptFeatured

Digital Government AI Readiness

Role — Principal Investigator

A framework for assessing and improving AI readiness in public-sector institutions.

Developing a comprehensive set of indicators and policy recommendations to guide digital transformation and AI adoption in government agencies.

Provides a roadmap for public-sector leaders to navigate the complexities of AI integration.

Policy AnalysisGovernance FrameworksAI Maturity Models
Event Tabulation Systems — project visual
Commercial Project · 2017-2019Completed

Event Tabulation Systems

Role — Lead Architect

Real-time tabulation systems for major international and local pageants and festivals.

Developed a series of high-reliability, real-time tabulation systems for events like Miss Asia Pacific International and various local festivals in the Philippines.

Ensured accurate, transparent, and instant results for high-stakes competitions.

PHPJavaScriptWebSocketMySQL

§ 05 — Experience

Career trajectory

From software development and IT education to leading ICT at a national government authority, alongside a sustained role in WorldSkills.

2025 — 2026Current

Graduate Student Researcher

Handong Global University · Pohang, South Korea

Graduate research in the Graduate School of Development and Entrepreneurship, focused on retrieval methods for workforce and skills intelligence.

  • Co-authored a journal article on graph-validated retrieval for occupation-skill mapping, published in the International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication (2026).
HybridRAGKnowledge GraphsInformation Retrieval
2022 — PresentCurrent

Information Technology Officer I

TESDA · Muntinlupa, Philippines

Leading ICT initiatives and digital transformation projects within the national vocational education and training authority.

  • Optimizing institutional ICT infrastructure and cloud services.
  • Developing and managing national-level digital government systems.
  • Implementing AI-enabled solutions for labor-market intelligence.
Cloud InfrastructureDigital GovernmentICT Policy
2019 — PresentCurrent

WorldSkills Philippines Web Expert

TESDA · Philippines

Representing and coaching the national team for international web development competitions.

  • Mentoring competitors in advanced web technologies and industry standards.
  • Contributing to the development of national competition standards for web design and development.
  • Representing the Philippines in WorldSkills international forums and competitions.
Web DevelopmentPedagogyStandards Development
2021 — 2022

Technical Specialist

TESDA · Philippines

Provided technical expertise for institutional software and hardware systems.

  • Managed and maintained critical server infrastructure and networking systems.
  • Supported the development and deployment of internal web applications.
  • Provided high-level troubleshooting and technical support for TESDA's ICT ecosystem.
System AdministrationNetwork SecurityTechnical Support
2017 — 2021

Senior Web Developer

Various Projects · Remote

Led the development of high-impact web systems and tabulation platforms for various organizations.

  • Architected and developed real-time tabulation systems for major international and local events.
  • Built responsive, high-performance web applications using modern JavaScript frameworks.
  • Managed end-to-end development cycles from requirement gathering to deployment and maintenance.
Vue.jsPHPMySQLReal-time Systems
2015 — 2017

IT Lecturer / Jr. IT Specialist

Educational Institution · Philippines

Delivered technical instruction and supported campus-wide ICT operations.

  • Lectured on core computer science subjects including Database Systems, Programming Logic, and Operating Systems.
  • Developed curriculum materials and practical lab exercises for IT students.
  • Assisted in the management of campus computer laboratories and network infrastructure.
JavaC++Database ManagementOS Concepts
2014 — 2015

Software Development Intern

Microsoft · Philippines

Gained early professional experience in software development and industry practices.

  • Collaborated with development teams on internal tools and project prototypes.
  • Participated in agile development processes and technical reviews.
  • Contributed to front-end development using Microsoft technologies.
C#.NETFront-end Development

§ 06 — Expertise

Technical expertise

Breadth across infrastructure, software, data, and capacity building: the full stack of public-sector digital transformation.

017 tools

Cloud and Infrastructure

Expertise in managing cloud services, system architecture, and public-sector ICT infrastructure.

AWSAzureLinuxNGINXDockerKubernetesCI/CD Pipelines
026 tools

Web and API Development

Full-stack development with a focus on scalable architectures and secure data exchange.

Vue.jsNuxt.jsPHP (Laravel)Python (Django/Flask)RESTful APIsGraphQL
035 tools

Networking and Security

Design and management of secure, resilient campus and enterprise networks.

Cisco NetworkingLAN/WANFirewallsNetwork Security ProtocolsVLAN Configuration
046 tools

Database and Systems Architecture

Designing and optimizing data storage solutions for high-performance applications.

MySQL/MariaDBPostgreSQLNeo4jRedisData ModelingSQL Optimization
055 tools

AI, Data, and Research Systems

Integrating artificial intelligence and data analytics into institutional workflows.

RAG SystemsKnowledge GraphsVector DatabasesPython for Data ScienceLearning Analytics
064 tools

Teaching and Technical Training

Professional education and mentoring in computer science and ICT competencies.

Curriculum DevelopmentTechnical MentoringPublic SpeakingInstructional Design

§ 07 — Credentials

Verified credentials

12Badges verified on CredlyView profile ↗

Professional certifications

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate badge

Amazon Web Services

AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate

Designing secure, resilient, and cost-optimized architectures on AWS.

Issued Jan 2024 · Valid through Jan 2027Verify ↗
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner badge

Amazon Web Services

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

Foundational fluency in AWS Cloud services, security, and pricing.

Issued Apr 2023 · Valid through Jan 2027Verify ↗
CompTIA A+ badge

CompTIA

CompTIA A+

Device configuration, operating systems, troubleshooting, and IT support operations.

Issued Oct 2018 · Valid through Oct 2027Verify ↗
MTA: Software Development Fundamentals badge

Microsoft

MTA: Software Development Fundamentals

Core programming, object-oriented design, and database fundamentals.

Issued Dec 2014Verify ↗

International recognition & awards

WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition — Team Leader badge

WorldSkills

WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition — Team Leader

Served as Team Leader at the 46th WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition.

Verify ↗
WorldSkills Kazan 2019 — Expert, Web Technologies badge

WorldSkills

WorldSkills Kazan 2019 — Expert, Web Technologies

Served as the Philippines' Expert in Web Technologies at the 45th WorldSkills Competition in Kazan, Russia.

Verify ↗

Unity Technologies · 2014

2nd Place - Unity Game Jam 2014

Recognized for innovative game mechanics and design in a competitive game development marathon.

National Skills Competition · 2013

Gold Medalist - Web Design Competition

Awarded for excellence in front-end development, UI/UX design, and standards-compliant coding.

Continuing education

§ 08 — Education

2026

Master's Degree in Policy Competency in ICT Convergence

Handong Global University · Pohang, South Korea

Graduate School of Development and Entrepreneurship. Focusing on the intersection of technology policy and digital transformation in the context of ICT convergence.

2025 — 2026

2015

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

Informatics International College · Philippines

Comprehensive foundation in software engineering, networking, and systems administration.

2011 — 2015

§ 09 — Vision

“My mission is to facilitate the seamless convergence of emerging technologies within institutional frameworks, ensuring that technical innovation serves as a catalyst for educational excellence and social progress.”

Jotham Hernandez

§ 10 — Contact

Open to research collaboration and public-sector partnerships.

For academic collaboration, research discussion, technology consulting, or professional inquiries, feel free to contact me.

me@jothamhernandez.com