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Hi, I'm Josh, a sophomore Computer Science student at the University of Waterloo. I'm passionate about software development, robotics, artificial intelligence, and data science. Through my studies and personal projects, I'm constantly honing my skills in programming, algorithm design, and machine learning. I enjoy building both practical applications and experimental systems that are interesting to me.

for inquiries contact jdelkind@uwaterloo.ca

Portfolio

GeneRisk ML & Pipeline

GeneRisk ML & Pipeline Project

Designed and developed a pharmacogenomics risk assessment platform analyzing VCF genetic data to predict drug interaction risks using ensemble ML models (XGBoost, Random Forest, Logistic Regression, 95.8% AUC).

Built distributed ETL pipelines with Apache Spark (Scala) and Airflow to process large-scale VCF datasets from AWS S3 into Snowflake for analytics and model training.

Integrated real-time clinical decision support via .NET Core Web API backend, React/Next.js frontend, and embedded Tableau dashboards

Leveraged Docker, AWS (S3, EC2), and Snowflake for scalable, containerized deployment and cloud-based healthcare data processing.

Automated data pipeline orchestration and model retraining workflows, ensuring continuous improvement of predictions and alternative drug recommendations.

Rust Shell

Rust Shell Project

Developed a full-featured Unix shell in Rust with process control, job management, pipelines, and redirection.

Implemented safe, concurrent process handling leveraging Rust's ownership model to eliminate memory safety issues.

Integrated core Unix features: signal handling, environment variable expansion, command history, and configuration support.

Utilized key Rust crates (nix, crossterm, clap, anyhow, serde) for system calls, terminal control, CLI parsing, and robust error handling.

Built a modular, cross-platform architecture with structured logging, persistent settings, and extensible command parsing.

STAN (Trading Algo Analytics)

STAN (Trading Algo Analytics) Project

Built a full-stack algorithmic trading platform enabling users to upload, run, and evaluate Python trading strategies on millions of rows of historical stock data.

Architected a secure, cloud-native execution pipeline with AWS EKS Kubernetes Jobs, Docker containers, and strict resource/time limits for sandboxed script execution.

Integrated high-performance data processing using Apache Spark (PySpark), Pandas, and NumPy for large-scale backtesting and statistical analysis.

Designed and deployed a scalable backend with Django REST Framework, AWS RDS (PostgreSQL + SQLAlchemy), Amazon S3 for persistent storage, and Nginx for hosting and reverse proxy.

Developed a React + Next.js + TailwindCSS frontend with interactive evaluation tools, historical results comparison, and algorithm management features.

Concurrent Ray Tracer

Concurrent Ray Tracer Project

Developed a high-performance ray tracer in Go leveraging goroutines and worker pools, achieving near-linear scaling across CPU cores for efficient parallel rendering.

Implemented advanced rendering techniques such as recursive reflections, soft shadows, volumetric atmospheric effects, and procedural material models for photorealistic imagery.

Optimized mathematical computations with SIMD-inspired vector operations and cache-friendly data layouts to accelerate 3D vector math, ray-object intersections, and lighting calculations.

Designed and integrated spatial acceleration structures (BVH, Octree) and memory pooling strategies to minimize allocation overhead and maximize intersection throughput.

Built a flexible JSON-based scene configuration system supporting complex geometry, advanced materials, and dynamic lighting, enabling extensible and efficient rendering pipelines.

MyTutorAI

MyTutorAI Project

Designed and developed a scalable full-stack tutoring platform on Azure featuring live video sessions, real-time chat, session history, and resource sharing between students and tutors.

Implemented secure passwordless authentication using OTP login and integrated Stripe payments to enable seamless lesson purchases for merchant tutors.

Built AI-powered features leveraging LangChain, Chroma vector DB, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to automatically generate quizzes and transcribe video call audio into actionable student feedback.

Architected caching layers using Apache Kafka, Elasticsearch, and Redis to optimize search, chat log retrieval, and session data performance at scale.

Developed a responsive Angular frontend with standalone components and a Ruby on Rails backend exposing a GraphQL API, ensuring modularity and efficient data flow across services.

Golang Fractal Generator CLI

Golang Fractal Generator CLI Project

Engineered a high-performance fractal zoom animation engine in Go using goroutines and worker pools, achieving near-linear CPU scaling for real-time rendering of complex fractals.

Developed a dynamic formula parser allowing users to input custom fractal formulas (e.g., z^2 + c, conj(z)^3 + c), enabling flexible rendering of diverse fractal types and patterns.

Created an intelligent zoom system with boundary detection and adaptive quality scoring to prevent zoom drift and maintain visual interest during infinite fractal zoom sequences.

Designed efficient tile-based rendering architecture with memory pooling and cache-friendly coordinate calculations to optimize resource usage and accelerate frame generation.

Built CLI tooling for flexible scene configuration and automated MP4 video generation, enabling high-resolution fractal zoom animations with customizable parameters.

CNN SVHN Classifier From Scratch

CNN SVHN Classifier From Scratch Project

Developed a Convolutional Neural Network entirely from scratch using NumPy and mathematical libraries to achieve 92.8% test accuracy on real-world Street View House Numbers digit recognition.

Implemented core CNN components including custom 2D convolution, batch normalization, max pooling, ReLU activation, and Adam optimizer without relying on deep learning frameworks.

Designed and executed data preprocessing and augmentation pipelines to improve model robustness on complex multi-digit street view images.

Optimized CNN architecture with He initialization and im2col convolution technique, resulting in efficient training (~45 minutes for 30 epochs) and fast inference (~15ms/image).

Successfully translated deep learning theory into a practical, high-accuracy image recognition model.

GAN Alphabet From Scratch

GAN Alphabet From Scratch Project

Built a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) from scratch using only NumPy, successfully generating synthetic alphabet letters (A–Z) without deep learning frameworks.

Implemented core GAN components including generator and discriminator networks, binary cross-entropy loss, and backpropagation with custom activation functions (ReLU, Sigmoid).

Designed and synthesized a custom dataset of 28×28 alphabet glyphs with noise and random transformations to train the GAN for diverse letter generation.

Developed an end-to-end adversarial training loop alternating updates of generator and discriminator, demonstrating understanding of GAN convergence dynamics.

Visualized training progress through epoch snapshots and final generated samples, validating model ability to produce realistic alphabet characters.

Pi CV Home Security System

Pi CV Home Security System Project

Developed a real-time face detection and recognition system on Raspberry Pi using OpenCV and face_recognition libraries.

Implemented custom logic to differentiate known individuals and strangers, triggering email alerts with face image attachments.

Automated secure email notifications via SMTP SSL to multiple recipients upon recognized arrivals or unknown visitors.

Managed face encoding storage and comparison using JSON serialization with custom NumPy encoder/decoder.

Optimized frame processing with background subtraction and contour detection for efficient face localization in video streams.

ThoseInNeed

ThoseInNeed Project

Developed a React-based web platform hosted at thoseinneed.ca, integrating Google Maps and Places APIs to display nearby aid resources geographically.

Implemented dynamic location-based services for food banks, shelters, clothing drives, and mental health clinics to support people facing poverty.

Created multiple reusable React components to render interactive maps and location listings based on user geolocation permissions.

Designed accessible UI modals with clear messaging for users without location access, enhancing user experience and engagement.

Ensured mobile-responsive, user-friendly interface enabling vulnerable users to easily find essential local support services.

RoadFun Game

RoadFun Game Project

Developed a fast-paced mobile racing game in Unity using C#, featuring multi-lane traffic avoidance gameplay.

Implemented dynamic obstacle spawning and smooth player controls for engaging, responsive gameplay.

Integrated coin collection mechanics enabling vehicle and parts upgrades to enhance player progression.

Optimized game performance for mobile devices ensuring smooth frame rates and low latency.

Designed intuitive UI and feedback systems to improve player experience and retention.

Selenium Webscrape Youtube Playlist Maker

Selenium Webscrape Youtube Playlist Maker Project

Built a Python tool using Selenium to create and play YouTube playlists offline with automatic ad skipping.

Used YouTube API to get video details and calculate total playlist duration.

Parsed video durations to display playlist runtime in a readable format.

Automated browser actions to control YouTube playback and handle ads.

Combined web scraping and API data for smooth playlist management.