I am a rising fourth-year student at the University of Chicago studying computer science with a strong foundation in backend development and growing experience in frontend development. I am currently a software engineering intern at Vertex Inc on the performance engineering team. I have previously worked as a software engineering intern at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. I'm now looking for opportunities to apply my programming and problem-solving skills to create impactful software solutions. Please feel free to reach out if you'd like to connect! I am looking at new-grad opportunities starting in July/August 2026.

University of Chicago | September 2022 - June 2026
B.S. Computer Science

Relevant Coursework:

• Systems Programming
• Database Systems
• Computer Architecture
• Computer Security
• Theory of Algorithms
• Mathematical Foundations of Machine Learning
• Linear Algebra
• Discrete Mathematics

• Software Engineering Intern at Vertex Inc | June 2025 - present

  • Analyze and optimize product performance using profiling tools, performance models, and queueing theory as a member of the Performance Engineering team
  • Develop and execute automated performance tests to measure system scalability, identify bottlenecks, and validate enhancements across distributed systems
  • Assist in building and refining CI/CD pipelines and monitoring infrastructure using AWS cloud technologies and DevOps best practices

• Software Engineering Intern at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies | June 2024 - October 2024

  • Built a Python web app using Streamlit and pygfx that allows users to interact with real-time visualizations by offering a more interactive and dynamic experience
  • Integrated support for 'nwb' data from Neurodata without Borders, enabling seamless data standardization for neurophysiology.
  • Implemented GUI trackpad support using the QtPy library, enhancing user experience and interaction.

• Data Science/Bioinformatics Research Intern at the UChicago Department of Medicine | February 2024 - May 2024

  • Developed and optimized Python scripts to analyze large-scale electronic biobanks, studying cardiovascular disease through longitudinal analysis, mixed-effects modeling, and regression
  • Used bioinformatics methods for population genetics studies, such as genome-wide association studies, QTL mapping, polygenetic risk prediction, and pleiotropy analysis

• Programming Languages: Python, C/C++, SQL, Rust, R, Java
• Libraries/Frameworks: PyTorch, Pandas, Matplotlib, React
• Developer Tools: Git, Unix, Docker

• Implemented core storage and query execution components for a database management system
• Developed a slotted-page storage manager in to support variable-length data tuples within fixed-size pages, implementing serialization and deserialization of metadata
• Wrote low-level I/O methods to handle binary page storage and recovery, ensuring data integrity through checksum and logging.
• Worked extensively with Rust's memory safety model, lifetimes, and trait-based abstractions to implement robust and type-safe systems code.

• Developed a top-down zombie survival shooter game with the pygame library for the 2025 Uncommon Hacks hackathon at UChicago

• Developed a custom dynamic memory allocator to manage heap memory efficiently
• Implemented memory allocation using mmap(), expanding the heap dynamically based on process demands
• Handled memory fragmentation and coalescing, improving performance and reducing wasted space

• Developed a Unix-like shell in C, implementing process creation and management with system calls
• Applied defensive programming techniques to handle invalid user input, prevent buffer overflows, and ensure robust error handling, improving the shell's stability and security
• Implemented input/output redirection to support file-based command execution and automated testing
• Designed a modular architecture by structuring the shell's core functionalities into separate components, making the codebase extensible for future enhancements such as piping and background process execution

• Created a terminal-based game with efficient data structures including doubly linked lists and designed modular game logic using structs for scalable and maintainable code
• Optimized memory usage by implementing bit-packing techniques and validated code integrity using Valgrind for memory leak detection
• Improved performance and concurrency by leveraging pthreads for multithreading, ensuring responsive gameplay even with complex board state updates.
• Implemented unit testing with the Criterion framework and systematic debugging using LLDB

• Designed a website during a 30-hour hackathon that allows users to explore an artificial version of Earth in which chemosynthesis sustains all life, using a 3D molecule visualizer, interactive food web builder, and interactive simulator that shows organisms found in oceanic depths
• Placed in the top 10 out of 71 teams.

You can reach out to me via email: keyaloding@uchicago.edu