Saran Shankar - Resume

About Me

I'm a driven Software Engineer and AI undergraduate passionate about building impactful, scalable systems. I enjoy solving real-world problems using full-stack technologies, machine learning, and cloud-native infrastructure. With a strong foundation in distributed systems, data-driven development, and product-focused thinking, I thrive in dynamic environments where learning never stops. I'm currently exploring applied AI, developer tooling, and smart automation at the intersection of tech and usability.

Education

Shiv Nadar University Chennai Chennai, India

B.Tech in AI and Data Science; CGPA: 8.72

Aug 2023 – May 2027

Coursework: Data Structures and Algorithms, Data Analysis, Machine Learning, DBMS, OS, OOP, Data Mining, AI, Statistics
Activities: Built websites for inter-college events like SSNSNUC Instincts' 24 (IPL Auction software)

Experience

Miniture Chennai, Hybrid

Software Development Engineer Intern

Mar 2025 – Present

Real-time Chat App: Built an LLM streaming agent using Express.js and LangChain with Server-Sent Events, reducing TTFT by 80% while integrating custom tools that streamlined interaction leading to increased retention
Kubernetes: Deployed backend on self-hosted Kubernetes cluster for autoscaling, high availability and automatic deployments
Behavior-Driven Notifications: Built a personalized notification system based on user behaviour and engagement with A/B testing support, boosting Click-Through-Rate
CMS Integrations: Added Shopify review and rating system and CMS-driven blog support to the mobile application

Projects

Eunoia – AI-Powered DIY Learning Platform

Python, FastAPI, React Native, BeautifulSoup4, Gemini, ChromaDB

Context-Aware Recommendations: Built a Gemini-based Retrieval-Augmented Generation system that recommends DIY ideas based on objects detected from the environment.
Gamified Mobile App: Developed a React Native frontend with activity tracking, streaks, and XP incentives for engagement.
Knowledge Indexing: Parsed unstructured DIY websites using BeautifulSoup4 and stored embeddings in ChromaDB.

RaftKV – Distributed Key-Value Store

Go, Raft, CLI, Distributed Systems

Raft Protocol from Scratch: Implemented leader election, log replication, term-based safety, and snapshotting for high availability and fault tolerance.
Cluster Operations Tool: Built CLI tools for monitoring cluster state, manually injecting faults, and verifying log consistency.

Fraud Detection System

React, Flask, Kotlin, Scikit-Learn, MongoDB

ML-Driven Anomaly Detection: Developed a fraud detection platform using geolocation shifts, typing patterns, and time anomalies to flag suspicious activity.
Cross-Platform & Secure: Built a Kotlin Android app with phishing/spam alerts and a web dashboard using React-Flask.

GPA Calculator – Student GPA Management Platform

Svelte, PocketBase, Posthog

GPA Calculator: Built a persistent GPA management system to store user's semester and cumulative GPA.
Simple, Intuitive UI: Integrated PostHog to track usage, supporting data-informed improvements for 500+ users and maintaining 300+ monthly active users.

CropCare – AI-Powered Precision Farming System

Python, IoT Sensors, Deep Learning, Web UI

AI-Powered Analysis: Developed deep learning pipelines for real-time crop health analysis and adaptive irrigation based on fused soil and weather data.
UX Design: Designed a lightweight multilingual web dashboard with SMS-based farmer notifications, overcoming digital literacy and infrastructure barriers.
Scalable SaaS Architecture: Created a modular, real-time cloud solution with APIs for external integration, future offline capabilities, and long-term environmental modeling.

MiniGames – HTML/CSS/JS Game Collection

HTML, CSS, JavaScript

Hands-on Practice: Built a suite of mini-games to reinforce frontend fundamentals with no frameworks involved.
Games Included: Classic Snake game, a physics-based Tower Stacker, and simple drawing canvas projects.
Deployment: Hosted live at minigames-three.vercel.app using Vercel for rapid prototyping.

Awards

Kochi Hackathon 2024 – Finalist, Top 8 out of 300+ teams nationwide (Netstratum Technologies)
NAF Uzhavu Hackathon 2025 – Finalist, Top 20 out of 600+ teams (IIT Madras)
Pragyan Hackathon 2024 – Finalist, among Top 80 out of 400+ teams (NIT Trichy)
SNUC Hacks 2024 – 3rd Place, built an AI-powered automation tool for campus needs (Shiv Nadar University Chennai)
Typing Battle – 1st Place, speed and accuracy typing event at SSNSNUC Invente 2024
Interface Off – 1st Place, Web/App Design Competition at SSNSNUC Instincts' 24
Chess Puzzle Solving – 1st Place in Puzzle solving competition conducted by the Chess club of SNUC (SSNSNUC)

Technical Skills

Languages: Python, JavaScript, Go, C++, Java

Web: React, React Native, Next.js, Node.js, Express, Flask, FastAPI, Svelte

Databases: MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, PocketBase

Tools: Git, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, Windmill, ChromaDB

Cloud: AWS, DigitalOcean, GCP, Azure