Studying, Mentorship, And Resourceful Teaching
A journey of studying, mentorship, and resourceful teaching
Hello hello!
I’m Akshay (/uh-k-ʃ-æ/), an Adjunct Professor at National Louis University, AI Engineer, and open-source contributor dedicated to the intersection of technology and learning. This corner of the internet 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.
Me at NASA Open Science 2024 at National Louis University, Chicago with Dr. Ian Moncrief (left), Gianna Dubinski (centre), and Brian Palafox (right)
I’ve a special interest in natural language processing, reinforcement learning, and numerical computing, 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.
Open Source
Alongside ppen Science, I practise open source. For me, it is more than a philosophy. It is my personal reminder to make my learnings, experiences, and knowledge free and accessible, breaking down cultural and digital barriers and inviting collaboration across disciplines and borders.
I’ve worked on a diverse range of projects, from building performant machine learning models to crafting efficient numerical computing libraries. My projects reflect both technical depth and a passion for education. Some highlights include:
xsNumPy & SlowTorch. Lightweight educational libraries inspired by NumPy and PyTorch, built to simplify complex concepts for learners and researchers.
Reinforcement Learning. Snake game including the environment built in Pygame, featuring a modular agent and an optimised reinforcement learning strategy.
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.
Teaching philosophy
I wholeheartedly believe that true mastery comes from sharing knowledge. Whether it is breaking down complex machine learning algorithms or explaining the nuances of AI, I find joy in making technical concepts relatable and easy to grasp. 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 realised you really can’t call yourself an SME (Subject-matter expert) until you can teach it to those who likely know nothing about it (or very little), and are willing to entertain questions from people learning at that initial frame of reference. Thus began my journey into teaching. Although my approach of teaching has evolved over the past few years, adapting to the needs of my environment, students, and time.
Purpose and vision
This website is more than just a portfolio, it is a space where I blend technology and education. Through this website, I hope to build a community where technology meets education, and where I can learn, teach, and grow alongside you.
Ultimately, my goal is to use this corner on the internet to bridge the gap between collaboration and education, building tools, and sharing ideas.
Let’s connect
I’m always open to conversations about AI, teaching, open source, or just a casual chat about life. I’d love to hear from you. It doesn’t need to be just about the tech either; I’m a huge film nerd and I enjoy memes!! If you are also passionate about films or want to share something funny, feel free to reach out or send a recommendation or two.
I don’t use, nor am I on, any social media, but I’m reachable via email or via LinkedIn.