Hi there!

I'm NILAKSHI

A developer based in Los Angeles, USA, specializing in building (and occasionally designing) exceptional websites, applications, and everything in between!

I'm always looking to collaborate on new projects, so hire me or feel free to reach out for a coffee chat!

RESUME GET IN TOUCH
Nilakshi Nagrale

Education

Places that shaped me!

University of Southern California

August 2024 - May 2026

Master of Science in Computer Science

Coursework: Design & Analysis of Algorithms Web Technologies Natural Language Processing Multimedia System Design Game Development Software Architectures

University of Mumbai

August 2018 - May 2022

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering

Coursework: Data Structures & Algorithms Operating Systems Database Management Object-Oriented Programming Computer Networks Machine Learning Software Engineering

Professional Experience

Places that fueled my growth!

Volkswagen Group Technology Solutions

August 2022 - July 2024

Software Engineer

  • Designed scalable backend microservices for global invoice document workflows using Python, SQL Server, & AWS, improving throughput by 35% under high-concurrency workloads
  • Built low-latency RESTful APIs using FastAPI, accelerating end-to-end processing workflows by 30%
  • Implemented event-driven data pipelines using Kafka and Redis, achieving 99.9% delivery reliability at scale
  • Improved backend quality through Test-Driven Development, unit/integration testing, reducing production defects by 20%

Skills & Technologies

Programming

Python Java C++ JavaScript C# SQL

Backend & Full Stack

React NodeJS Spring Boot Flask TypeScript REST APIs

Infrastructure & Data

AWS Docker Kubernetes Apache Kafka Redis PostgreSQL MongoDB NoSQL

Developer Tools

Git Jenkins CI/CD Jira Postman

Featured Projects

Multi-Thread CLI Image Processor

Demo
  • Designed & implemented a C++ command-line tool, featuring a custom binary parser for 24-bit BMP file
  • Accelerated image processing performance by 2.77x (from 1.807ms to 0.652ms) by engineering a data-parallel C++ processor, partitioning grayscale conversion tasks across multiple cores
C++ Multi-Threading

Commons – AI-Powered Student Networking Web App

Demo
  • Engineered a full-stack, campus-exclusive platform using React, Node.js/Express, & MongoDB to match students by courses, interests, & mentorship preferences; leveraged Gemini API for dynamic, AI-driven peer recommendations
  • Integrated core features including .edu email verification, advanced filtering, real-time messaging; created intuitive UI Design with Tailwind CSS & prototyped seamless user flows using Figma
🏆 Awarded Best Hack in Tech at AthenaHacks 2025
React Node.js MongoDB Gemini API Tailwind CSS Figma

BidSync: A Real-Time Live Auction Platform

Demo
  • Architected a synchronized, real-time auction platform for 50+ concurrent users, achieving < 150ms bidding latency, by implementing a full-stack Java / Spring Boot + React solution leveraging WebSockets
  • Automated CI/CD pipeline using Docker and GitHub Actions, slashing average deployment time by 90%
Java/Spring Boot React/Typescript PostgreSQL WebSockets

SceneShift – Automated Image Stitching & Reconstruction Pipeline

Demo
  • Developed a high-performance computer vision pipeline using OpenCV to process video frames, extract keyframes, & stitch images to generate seamless, ultra-high definition panoramic images with Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) score of 0.95, processing a 60-second video in under 90 seconds
Python OpenCV Flask Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Stone Games

Demo
  • Implemented an optimal enemy AI for a competitive 1D puzzle game based on "Stone Game" algorithmic problem, challenging players to secure the highest score against a minimax-based opponent
  • Developed a complete, turn-based gameplay loop featuring 5+ core UI elements, including a score tracker and a turn timer, to create a strategic, time-pressured experience for the player
Unity C#

Hierarchical Summarization for Large Code Repositories

Demo
  • Fine-tuned CodeT5 for precise, function-level code summarization using the CodeSearchNet Python corpus
  • Optimized zero-shot LED (Longformer) and BigBird-Pegasus models for high-level file/repository contexts, achieving a BERTScore of 0.8576
Python PyTorch Hugging Face Transformers CUDA

Elemental - 2D Platformer Game

Demo
  • A single-player 2D puzzle-platformer where players dynamically switch between Fire, Water, and Steam forms to traverse hazards, outsmart enemies, and overcome elemental barriers using limited lifelines
C# Unity

Accu-Weather: iOS Weather Application (Swift)

Demo
  • Engineered a feature-rich iOS weather app in Swift, improving key user engagement metrics by 40% through a responsive UI and interactive HighCharts visualizations
  • Architected the app's data layer to achieve < 300ms retrieval latency by integrating live data APIs (Google Maps, Tomorrow.io) and using MongoDB Atlas for persistent user data
Swift (iOS) MongoDB Atlas Google Maps API Tomorrow.io API HighCharts

Get In Touch

Let's work together

I'm always interested in new opportunities and exciting projects. Whether you have a question or just want to say hi, feel free to reach out!

Email: nilakshii.nagrale@gmail.com
Location: Los Angeles, USA