Akshat Gupta
Systems Engineer • Wireless Networks • Explorer
Hello! I'm Akshat — a tech-savvy systems engineer with a strong background in embedded development, network architecture, and scalable test design. I'm passionate about building resilient, vendor-agnostic systems, exploring new countries, and collecting stories from tech and travel alike.
Education
University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
MS in Computer Engineering (Sept 2025 – Jul 2027)
Relevant Courses: OS, Communication Networks, Internet Algorithmics, ML, Cloud Infrastructure
BITS Pilani, India
BE in Electrical & Electronics Engineering (Aug 2019 – May 2023) – CGPA: 8.39/10
Experience
Software Engineer – Arista Networks
Pune, India | Jul 2023 – Aug 2025
Built vendor-agnostic WiFi driver layer, TLS-based syslog, CI/CD pipelines with nightly test stability improvements.
Associate Consultant – Indus Insights
Gurgaon, India | Jan 2023 – Jun 2023
Built AWS Datalake pipelines and analytics dashboards for UK-based insurance client.
Software Developer Intern – LTI (Larsen & Toubro Infotech)
Mumbai, India (Remote) | May 2022 – Jul 2022
Built high-performance SAPUI5 apps on SAP HANA; containerized deployments on AWS EC2 using Docker for 1000+ concurrent users.
Skills
- Languages: C/C++, Golang, Python, Bash, SQL
- Networking: TCP/IP, Wi-Fi 6/7, RADIUS, NAT, Packet Analysis
- Systems: Linux Internals, Systemd, Kernel Debugging, TPM, Secure Boot
- APIs: REST, JSON-RPC, gRPC
- Tooling: Jenkins, Git, Docker, BusyBox, AWS
📚 Research Experience
ML in Environmental Forecasting
Reviewed 30+ ML models for climate, air, and water forecasting. Focused on interpretability, metrics like R², RMSE, MAE, F1 Score.
📄 View ProjectUAV Base Station Location Optimization
Optimized drone base station locations using Particle Swarm Optimization and 3D trajectory planning for better coverage in urban and rural zones.
⬇️ Download PDFUAV-Assisted Mobile Edge Computing (MEC)
Explored task offloading in UAV-enabled 5G networks using Deep RL and energy-efficient offloading. Compared performance across 16 papers.
⬇️ Download PDFTask Scheduling in 5G MEC with UAVs
Analyzed scheduling architectures in MEC-enabled 5G networks with UAVs. Discussed tradeoffs, vehicular use cases, and future AI schedulers.
⬇️ Download PDFPredictive UAV Deployment using ML (WEM)
Used Weighted Expectation Maximization for hotspot prediction and UAV placement. Compared against k-means and EM baselines.
⬇️ Download DOCXCertifications & Awards
- CleanIT Hackathon Winner – Reduced autotest infrastructure load by 45%, freeing up 30% more testbed resources at Arista Networks.
- CCNA – Cisco Certified Network Associate (In Progress, Exam: Aug 2025)
- CBSE Board Topper – Secured 95.6% in Science stream, ranking among the top performers nationally.
- National Gold Medalist – Awarded 1st place at the national level in Hindi Essay Writing competitions.
Technical Highlights
- Systems & Networking: Engineered a vendor-agnostic Wi-Fi driver layer in C/C++, enabling abstraction across multiple 802.11ax/be chipsets and reducing hardware dependency by 60%. Built secure logging over TLS with TPM-backed certs and SHA256 hashing for Common Criteria-compliant transmission.
- Distributed Infra & CI/CD: Architected Jenkins-based CI/CD pipelines with build gating, regression log analysis, device recovery workflows, and automated nightly test triggers — improving release stability and reducing code breakages by 50%.
- Data Structures & Algorithms: Solid foundation in algorithmic thinking and competitive programming. Applied DSA knowledge in optimizing UAV placement algorithms and scheduling models for low-latency mobile edge computing tasks.
- Quant-Ready Tooling & Modelling: Proficient in data wrangling using Python (Pandas, NumPy), SQL, and R. Developed ETL pipelines on AWS Datalake; optimized latency by 40% while handling 20+ years of legacy data for actuarial models and fraud detection analytics.
- API & Automation: Developed scalable REST and gRPC-based configuration interfaces for distributed access points. Enabled zero-touch provisioning, automated TLS cert rollouts, and remote telemetry logging.
- Security & Low-Level Engineering: Familiar with Linux kernel internals, Systemd, BusyBox, rsyslog, device drivers, and secure boot chains. Integrated TPM, integrity checks, and service daemons for secure embedded systems.
Volunteering Experience
- 🎓 Coordinated daily learning and engagement activities for 200+ underprivileged children in Pilani, nurturing both academic and personal growth.
- ➗ Provided tailored math tutoring and mentorship to struggling students, contributing to measurable academic improvements.
- 🏃♂️ Organized a national-level sports day event for children with special needs, collaborating with 10+ NGOs and ensuring inclusive participation.
- 🩸 Led a blood donation drive through the Indian Red Cross Society at BITS Pilani, resulting in the collection of over 600 units for community hospitals.
Outside Work
- 🛡️ Participating in Capture The Flag (CTF) cybersecurity challenges for fun and skill-building
- 📡 Simulating network protocols and testbeds using tools like GNS3 and Packet Tracer
- 🧠 Exploring algorithmic puzzles and Leetcode challenges in spare time
- 🏋️♂️ Powerlifting and strength training
- 🌊 Swimming and endurance sessions
- ⌚ Collecting watches – View Wishlist
- 🎾 Playing sports like Cricket, Pickleball, and Ping Pong
- ✈️ Traveling, food journaling, tech photography
- ♟️ Playing board games — especially strategy-heavy and social deduction games like Avalon, Secret Hitler, and Codenames
- 📺 Enjoying trivia shows like Jeopardy! and The Chase — competing with friends for fun and bragging rights
Japan Blog
I recently visited Japan and wrote a travelogue reflecting on the tech culture, language barriers, and beauty of everyday systems in the country.