My Studying, Mentorship, And Resourceful Teaching Journey
Harnessing Studying, Mentorship, And Resourceful Teaching to drive innovation — now that’s SMART!
Hello hello! I’m Akshay — an AI Engineer, student researcher, and an educator dedicated to the intersection of technology and learning. This corner of the internet primarily serves both as a digital portfolio, showcasing my work and a space where I share my learning and teaching experiences in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Software Development, Scientific Computing, and Open Science.
Most of my work revolves around building tools that push the boundaries of technology while keeping accessibility and efficiency in mind. I have a particular interest in reinforcement learning, numerical computing, and natural language processing, which I’ve explored through my personal projects. I’m also committed to contributing to the NASA Open Science mission, promoting transparent, reproducible, and inclusive research.
Along with Open science, I also do Open source which to me, is more than a philosophy. It’s my personal reminder to make my learnings, experiences and knowledge free and accessible, overcoming the cultural and digital barriers and inviting collaboration across disciplines and borders.
Personal projects
Over the years, I’ve worked on a diverse range of personal projects, from building sophisticated AI models to crafting efficient numerical computing libraries. My projects do reflect both technical expertise and my passion for education. Some key highlights of my projects include:
xsNumpy & SlowTorch. Lightweight educational libraries inspired by NumPy and PyTorch, built to simplify complex concepts for learners and researchers alike. These were created as educational tools for scientific computing.
Reinforcement Learning. An AI-driven Snake game including the environment built in Pygame, featuring a modular agent and optimized reinforcement learning strategies.
Beyond these, I’ve had the opportunity to speak at tech meetups and conferences, sharing insights on my projects, AI, open science, and the inner workings of numerical computing frameworks. These experiences have strengthened my resolve to not only build innovative tools but also inspire and empower others through education.
Passion for teaching
Teaching is not just something I do — it’s a fundamental part of how I approach technology. I wholeheartedly believe that true mastery of something comes from sharing knowledge. Whether it’s breaking down complex AI algorithms or explaining the nuances of machine learning, I find joy in making technical concepts accessible and easy to understand. I believe that technology gains its true power when its understanding is shared. Early in my Software Engineering career, I heard a quote…
If you want to master something, teach it.
—Richard Feynman
And I absolutely fell in love with this idea. Soon I realized you really can’t call yourself an SME (Subject-matter expert) until you can teach it who likely know nothing about it (or very little), and are willing to entertain the questions from people learning at that initial frame of reference. Thus became my journey into teaching. Although my approach when it comes to teaching or my teaching philosophy to put it simply, has evolved over the past few years, adapting to the needs of my environment, students and time. It is rooted in three core principles:
Learning by building. Encouraging hands-on projects as a way to solidify or reinforce abstract concepts and theoretical knowledge.
Clarity through simplicity. Distilling complex ideas into simple, digestible explanations without compromising depth.
Inclusive knowledge. Ensuring educational resources are open, transparent, and available to all, thus aligning with my open source vision.
Why this website?
This website is more than just a portfolio — it’s a dynamic little space where I blend my passion for technology and education. Through this website, I hope to build a community where technology meets education, and where we learn, teach, and grow together. I’m hoping to achieve the following:
Showcasing projects. Highlighting my work in AI, scientific computing, and software development.
Teaching platform. Offering blog posts, tutorials, and deep dives into AI, RAG systems, reinforcement learning, and more.
Collaboration. For students, researchers, developers, and learners who share a curiosity for pushing the frontiers of tech.
Ultimately, my goal is to use this personal corner or rather this online platform to bridge the gap between collaboration and education — building tools, sharing ideas, and helping others grow alongside me.