Ashwin Rao Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, California, United States

- Devised a novel algorithm to track hot data regions accessed by millions of queries across nodes using LSM scan keys.- Enhanced the merge step of LSM tree storage to purge old data in hot regions, reducing query execution time by 30%.- Submitting a patent on the enhanced merge algorithm and extensions to the tracking pipeline for smarter data purging.- Achieved almost zero overhead by reducing contention via per-node caching of keys and offloading computation to a daemon.

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

- Built a robust error detection system to diagnose DNS and network connectivity issues in Azure Cloud Storage Nodes, thereby preventing internal connectivity errors from bubbling up to the client.- The system has been deployed on millions of nodes and is expected to reduce node downtime by 0.001% (notable at scale).

Remote

- Implemented a portion of the communication pipeline of MoonRanger, an autonomous NASA lunar rover.- Designed software to pack Mission Control commands into CCSDS Space Packets for efficient transmission to the rover.- Unpacked raw rover health and telemetry byte streams into structured data for Ground Control analysis on Earth.- Integrated a data visualization system for unpacked rover data as a critical component of a NASA progress review.- In a sub-lead role, reviewed and merged Pull Requests for software to send and receive data from the rover.- Helped design the ground control database for efficient validation and storage of data collected by the rover.

Hyderabad, Telangana, India

- Using SLAM principles, developed the navigation system of an autonomous washroom cleaning robot in ROS and Gazebo. The robot’s cleaning ability, tested in a real washroom environment, won my team 2nd place in the national Indian Institute of Science (IISc) ARTPARK Robotics Challenge.- Designed a convolutional encoder-decoder architecture to 3D reconstruct warehouse racks from monocular image sequences. Combined predicted top-view and front-view shelf layouts of each rack to to 3D reconstruct the entire warehouse without depth information. This work has been accepted at IEEE ROBIO 2022.

Remote

- Developed an accident prevention module for autonomous vehicles that estimates trajectories of oncoming motorbikes and brakes on predicting a collision.- To ensure the system’s robustness, tested crash scenarios on simulators to diagnose catastrophic failures.- Integrated the module into the vehicle’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) System, modelling communication scenarios and data flow between them.- Added new ACC subsystems into Chrysler’s Advanced Driver Assistance software, such as adapting vehicle speed based on the speed of the vehicle ahead.

Hyderabad, Telangana, India

- Led the StartUp Aid mentorship program to help student entrepreneurs start up. 2 teams secured funds from investors.- Core organizer of Asia’s 2nd-ever FAIL! Talks (pioneered at MIT), acting as a point of contact with invited speakers.

Remote

- Using agile methodology, worked in a team to design, build, test, and deploy a streamlined tree-planting portal for an environmental NGO.- Built the portal’s entire backend infrastructrure, database schema and API endpoints using REST principles.- Created a reward system linked to social media to incentivize tree-planting and boost returning users.

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

- Designed and created the company website for Mastering Phonics, encompassing frontend, backend, middleware (email and payment services), and database schema. Used Figma for UI/UX design.- Analyzed website traffic and used Search Engine Optimization (SEO) design methods to improve click-through rate.

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

- Devised and implemented a pipeline to integrate voice-activated commands into smart vehicles using Natural Language Processing techniques.- Tested the pipeline in a real vehicle, providing voice commands to increase or decrease radio volume, change the radio station, modify the temperature of the AC, and open or close the sunroof.- The module will be included in Jeep’s next generation of technology-enabled intelligent vehicles.

Master Of Science - Ms, Computer Science

Fall 2024: 15-721 Advanced Database Systems 10-714 Deep Learning Systems 15-618 Parallel Computer Architecture and Programming Spring.

Bachelor Of Technology - Btech, Computer Science And Engineering, 9.08/10