Ali Shahzad
Computer Engineering @ UWaterloo
I build software that holds up under pressure, and the tests that prove it.
What was built in the dark
Fraise
Browser workspace for training & testing language models
Launch training runs, compare checkpoints, and try models through streaming as-you-type autocomplete.
Validated forms, live loss charts and logs, and a graceful stop that saves a resumable checkpoint.
127-test suite, zero skips: exact checkpoint replay, compiled-model correctness, evaluation behaviour.
Python · FastAPI · JavaScript · SSE
Shale
Local-first personal knowledge base
Captures notes, email, and browsing into searchable local storage with a plug-in system for new sources.
Chrome extension with an offline IndexedDB outbox and backoff retries that survive network loss and restarts.
Safe AI-agent edits: scoped views, transactional writes, idempotency keys, dry-run preview, audit log.
TypeScript · React · Bun · SQLite
Deal or No Deal
Tested simulation & analysis CLI
Found, documented, and fixed three bugs in the original simulator.
Added 8 Rust and 26 Python tests, linting, an end-to-end demo, and Windows checks to CI.
Packaged an installable Python CLI for reproducible runs, plots, and model verification.
Rust · Python · GitHub Actions
watworks-mcp
MCP server that lets an agent find the WaterlooWorks jobs that suit you best
TypeScript · MCP
lobot-lang
A toy language built on Brainfuck with real conveniences, running on a stack-based VM
Rust
uwhpc-onboarding
UW High Performance Computing onboarding challenge
C++
Paths walked
Beem Solutions — May – Aug 2025
Software Engineering Intern (Forward-Deployed)
Adapted a B2B AI voice-agent platform to each client's workflow with Python integrations into their databases, CRMs, and scheduling tools.
Worked directly with client engineers and stakeholders to review codebases, gather requirements, and plan integrations.
Merged email, phone, and social interactions into unified customer profiles for the voice agents.
Punjab IT Board (PITB) — Jun – Aug 2024
Mobile Development Intern
Halved app startup time by moving blocking initialization work to asynchronous operations.
Built and documented React Native screens with designers, wired to APIs, databases, and server components.
Wrote Laravel MVC backend code for apps handling national ID (CNIC) data; senior review found no security issues or bugs.
University of Waterloo — 2026 – 2031
BASc, Computer Engineering. IB Diploma · SAT 1600/1600 · 100% Merit Scholarship
Carried
TypeScript◆JavaScript◆Python◆SQL◆Rust◆React◆React Native◆Laravel◆FastAPI◆Bun◆SQLite◆AWS◆IndexedDB◆Chrome extensions◆Git◆GitHub Actions◆pytest◆Cargo◆Regression testing◆CI◆Root-cause analysis