Welcome to My Professional Journey

Computer Science & Electrical Engineering Student | AI Engineer | Future Innovator

Elijah Tharakan

Career Goal

My Vision

To become a leading AI Engineer and Electrical Engineer specializing in intelligent systems, machine learning applications, and embedded AI solutions. I aim to bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI research and practical engineering applications.

Innovation Focus

Developing cutting-edge AI solutions, machine learning models, and intelligent embedded systems. Specializing in neural networks, computer vision, and real-time AI applications for industrial and research applications.

Global Impact

Working towards creating scalable AI solutions that can be implemented across industries, from healthcare and biotechnology to manufacturing and automation, driving innovation and efficiency on a global scale.

Education

2026

B.S. Computer Science & B.S. Electrical Engineering

The Pennsylvania State University

Minor in Mathematics & AI Engineering

GPA: 3.6/4.0

Expected Graduation: December 2026

Highlighted Courses

Neural Networks

Deep learning architectures, backpropagation, and neural network optimization

Embedded Systems for AI

AI implementation on embedded platforms and real-time processing

Data Structures and Algorithms

Advanced algorithms, complexity analysis, and efficient data structures

Electronic Circuit Design

Analog and digital circuit design, simulation, and analysis

Computer Organization and Design

Computer architecture, processor design, and system organization

Operating Systems Design & Construction

OS kernel development, process management, and system programming

Awards & Recognition

HackPSU Spring 2024

1st Place - AI Course Scheduler and Advisor Project

FRC 1640 - World Championship

Qualified for FIRST Robotics World Championship

IEEE Leadership

President - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Work Experience

May 2025 - Present

AI Engineer

IBM - Philadelphia, PA

  • Engineered 3 production-ready AI pilots using IBM Granite 3.3 and Llama 3.3, processing 1M+ customer queries with 87% accuracy
  • Validated $1.5M+ solution feasibility for Fortune 500 clients through comprehensive AI pilot development
  • Optimized LLM inference pipeline through prompt engineering and caching strategies, reducing API costs by 40%
  • Maintained 95th percentile response time under 1.5 seconds while improving system efficiency
  • Partnered with product and consulting teams to define 12+ KPIs for AI pilots (accuracy, latency, cost-per-query)
  • Delivered bi-weekly technical reports that influenced roadmap prioritization and feature development
Sep 2025 - Present

Student Researcher

E-Bio-E Laboratory - State College, PA

  • Engineered Python-based data acquisition interface for electrochemical glucose biosensors
  • Achieved 1000+ samples/hour throughput with 99.3% accuracy using custom signal processing algorithms
  • Designed Arduino-based robotic sample handling system, automating 8-step testing workflow
  • Reduced manual intervention from 15 minutes/sample to zero, enabling unattended overnight testing
  • Implemented LSTM-based predictive model using TensorFlow to forecast sensor degradation with 89% accuracy
  • Extended sensor lifetime by average of 2 weeks through proactive maintenance strategies

Professional Service

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

President (March 2024 - Present)

Led an 8-person executive board for a 150+ member chapter, managing multiple teams and committees. Started a new design initiative, securing $5,000 in corporate sponsorship for a university-wide robotics competition.

Technical Leadership

Project Management & Innovation

Spearheaded technical initiatives and competitions, fostering innovation and collaboration among engineering students while building industry partnerships.

Competition Organizer

University-wide Robotics Competition

Organized and managed university-wide robotics competition, securing corporate sponsorship and coordinating technical challenges for student teams.

Final Project & Video Demos

Other Notable Projects

Pipelined CPU Design

January 2025 – April 2025

Designed 5-stage pipelined MIPS processor in Verilog (IF/ID/EX/MEM/WB) supporting 30+ R-type, I-type, and J-type instructions with full hazard detection and data forwarding logic. Implemented branch predictor and forwarding unit, reducing pipeline stalls by 65% and achieving 3.8x speedup over single-cycle baseline on sorting and matrix multiplication benchmarks.

Verilog MIPS Matlab Python

AI Course Scheduler and Advisor

March 2024

Architected a full-stack web application using a React frontend and Flask backend that leverages OpenAI GPT-4 API to provide students with personalized, AI-driven course registration roadmaps. Deployed application on AWS (EC2, RDS, S3) with 99.9% uptime, winning 1st place at HackPSU Spring 2024 among 50+ competing teams for technical execution and user impact.

Python Flask React AWS

Biosensor Data Acquisition System

Ongoing Research

Developed Python-based data acquisition interface for electrochemical glucose biosensors, achieving 1000+ samples/hour throughput with 99.3% accuracy using custom signal processing algorithms. Implemented LSTM-based predictive model using TensorFlow to forecast sensor degradation with 89% accuracy, enabling proactive maintenance and extending sensor lifetime by average of 2 weeks.

Python TensorFlow Arduino LSTM

Final Project Video Demo

Final Project Demo

Smart Soldering Station

Complete demonstration of the smart soldering station with gesture recognition, automated positioning, and integrated fume extraction system

Contact Information