LA
ENTRY BURN INITIATED
ALTITUDE 42,000 m
VELOCITY 1,240 m/s
FUEL 38 %
THRUST STANDBY
AI/ML ENGINEER & RESEARCHER

Dr. Lakshay
Arora

CLICK + DRAG ANYWHERE TO LAUNCH A SPACECRAFT

SCROLL
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trajectories
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YEARS APPLYING
AI & ML
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PEER-REVIEWED
PUBLICATIONS
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LLM INFERENCE
LATENCY REDUCED
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GUIDANCE PRECISION
IMPROVEMENT
01 ABOUT

Turning research into scalable systems

I am a Ph.D. with 5+ years of experience applying AI and machine learning to real-world challenges across finance, healthcare, and engineering. My work spans traditional machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, generative AI, and optimization under uncertainty.

On the generative AI side, I specialize in fine-tuning large language models and architecting advanced RAG and agentic RAG systems. I build autonomous multi-agent workflows with LangChain, LangGraph, and CrewAI, backed by Model Context Protocol integrations for tool use, API orchestration, and human-in-the-loop oversight.

My doctoral research at Carleton University introduced Koopman Expectation-based optimization for spacecraft rendezvous guidance under parametric uncertainty. It is, in essence, a structured linear world model in lifted latent space, closely related in spirit to RSSM architectures in the Dreamer lineage.

I enjoy building intelligent systems that are both innovative and practical.

CURRENTAI Expert, Scientific Computing
DOCTORATEPh.D. Aerospace Eng., Carleton
LABSpacecraft Robotics & Control
ADVISORProf. Steve Ulrich
MASTERSM.S., Wichita State University
BACHELORSB.Tech, Manipal Institute of Tech.
LOCATIONToronto, Ontario
02 EXPERIENCE

Where I have worked

AI/ML Research Expert

Mercor
APR 2026 – PRESENT  |  REMOTE (TORONTO)
  • Evaluated AI-generated responses to complex forecasting and analytical prompts using structured quality rubrics assessing factual accuracy, reasoning depth, and response utility.
  • Conducted comparative assessments on a calibrated 1 to 8 scoring framework, applying a rigorous 3/6 versus 4/5 decision protocol to isolate substantive performance differences from cosmetic ones.
  • Produced and critiqued multi-section technical papers, flagging logical gaps, unsupported claims, and structural weaknesses to improve training data quality.
  • Assessed quantitative time-series forecasting responses against expert benchmarks, judging uncertainty quantification and evidence-based reasoning.
Stack: Human feedback evaluation, time series analytics, technical writing, rubric design

Machine Learning Engineer

BenchSci
NOV 2022 – FEB 2026  |  TORONTO, CANADA
  • Built RAG and agentic RAG applications over large-scale scientific data using embedding models with semantic splitting and hybrid chunking to improve retrieval quality.
  • Orchestrated multi-agent workflows with LangGraph and CrewAI for dynamic retrieval, reasoning, tool invocation, and human-in-the-loop oversight via MCP-integrated APIs and databases.
  • Dockerized and optimized Llama 3.1 services with 8-bit quantization, KV-cache reuse, and CUDA acceleration, cutting inference latency by roughly 60 percent.
  • Engineered an agentic RAG ServiceNow assistant in Azure ML with Cosmos DB vector schemas and ServiceNow REST integration for ticketing and incident resolution.
  • Leveraged PySpark for distributed embedding computation and feature engineering, cutting batch-processing time through optimized partitioning.
Stack: LangGraph, CrewAI, LangChain, Hugging Face, PyTorch, PySpark, Transformers, MCP, Azure ML, Vector DBs, FastAPI, Docker, CUDA

Applied Machine Learning Engineer / Researcher

Spacecraft Robotics & Control Lab, Carleton University
SEP 2020 – DEC 2025  |  OTTAWA, CANADA
  • Engineered predictive guidance models under uncertainty using Koopman Expectation methods to model system variability and uncertain initial conditions, achieving an 84 percent precision improvement in trajectory planning.
  • Architected scalable trajectory simulation pipelines with parallelized Julia and Python backends for high-fidelity uncertainty propagation, cutting runtime substantially.
  • Combined PyTorch deep learning surrogates with nonlinear spacecraft dynamics, accelerating guidance evaluation while preserving physical interpretability.
  • Built modular simulation workflows with automated result logging, uncertainty quantification, and visualization dashboards for reproducibility.
  • Head teaching assistant for Mechanics of Solids I and II for nearly four years.
Stack: Julia, Python, PyTorch, MATLAB, Simulink

Data Analysis Assistant

Independent Consultant (Part-time)
MAR 2025 – JUL 2025  |  TORONTO, CANADA
  • Built Python transaction rule filters supporting AML compliance review for a Canadian bank.
  • Applied financial heuristics and backend data analysis to identify suspicious activity patterns.
  • Accelerated false-positive triage by roughly 28 percent in the working review workflow.
Stack: Python, Excel, AML backend systems

AI/ML Research Associate

AI Quest Inc. & George Brown College (Mitacs BSI)
MAY 2022 – SEP 2022  |  TORONTO, CANADA
  • Developed an NLP-based pharmacovigilance system using Python and the Twitter API.
  • Processed over 30GB of pharmaceutical and social data to detect adverse drug reactions, improving prediction accuracy by 15 percent with deep learning.
  • Delivered stakeholder dashboards for real-time healthcare monitoring and drug safety reporting.
Stack: Python, Pandas, Tweepy, NLTK, deep learning

Machine Learning Researcher

Wichita State University
SEP 2017 – FEB 2020  |  KANSAS, USA
  • Applied reinforcement learning to the spacecraft orbit-raising problem with a reward-adaptive control framework.
  • Formulated dynamic cost reweighting strategies balancing fuel consumption against time-of-flight in long-duration transfers.
  • Improved simulation efficiency and fuel optimization by up to 18 percent through deep Q-learning.
Stack: Python, MATLAB, Simulink

Data Analyst / Data Scientist

Albatronix
SEP 2016 – JUL 2017  |  BENGALURU, INDIA
  • Designed regression and predictive models for sales incentive planning, production forecasting, and financial sensitivity analysis by customer segment.
  • Built ETL pipelines automating ingestion and cleaning of structured and unstructured datasets with Python and SQL Server.
  • Delivered Tableau and Power BI dashboards surfacing KPIs, trends, and forecasting outputs.
Stack: Python, scikit-learn, Pandas, NumPy, SciPy, SQL Server, Tableau, Power BI, Django
03 AI STACK

What I build with

Generative AI systems, agentic architectures, and the research pipelines behind them.

◈ Agentic AI Systems

Autonomous multi-agent workflows performing complex reasoning, planning, and dynamic tool use. Self-correcting agents orchestrating APIs, databases, and code execution through MCP standardization.

LangGraphCrewAIAutoGenMCPPydantic

◈ RAG Architectures

Production retrieval pipelines with semantic splitting, hybrid chunking, and vector database tuning. Agentic and corrective RAG variants for dynamic retrieval and reasoning.

Agentic RAGCRAGVector DBsEmbeddingsHybrid Chunking

◈ LLM Fine-Tuning & Serving

PEFT methods and RLHF for adapting models to domain tasks. Quantized, async inference pipelines with KV-cache reuse and GPU acceleration for low-latency serving.

LoRA / QLoRARLHFQuantizationKV-CacheCUDA

◈ Optimization Under Uncertainty

Koopman Expectation methods for propagating uncertainty through nonlinear dynamics. Structured latent world models for guidance, closely related to RSSM architectures.

KoopmanLatent DynamicsJuliaPyTorch
PDFResearch Paper
→
PlannerLangGraph
→
CoderGeneration
→
CriticSandbox
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CodeVerified
lakshay@srcl ~ zsh
04 SKILLS

Technical toolkit

LANGUAGES

  • Python
  • Julia
  • MATLAB
  • R
  • C++
  • SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL)

DEEP LEARNING & AI

  • PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras
  • Hugging Face Transformers
  • Generative AI & LLMs
  • Reinforcement Learning
  • Time Series (ARIMA, SARIMAX)

AGENTIC FRAMEWORKS

  • LangChain, LangGraph
  • CrewAI, AutoGen
  • Model Context Protocol
  • Pydantic, Langflow

CLOUD PLATFORMS

  • GCP: Vertex AI, Model Garden
  • AWS: SageMaker, Bedrock, Lambda
  • Azure ML
  • Firestore, DynamoDB, S3

LLM APIS & DEPLOYMENT

  • OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini
  • Perplexity, Grok, Groq
  • FastAPI, Docker, CI/CD
  • Quantization, pruning, distillation

DATA & DATABASES

  • Pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn
  • MongoDB, Cassandra
  • SQL Server, PySpark
  • Power BI, Tableau

PROMPT ENGINEERING

  • Chain of Thought
  • Few-Shot, Self-Consistency
  • ReAct (Reason + Act)

NLP

  • NLTK, TextBlob, VADER
  • Gensim, spaCy

VISUALIZATION

  • Matplotlib, Seaborn
  • Tableau, Power BI
  • LaTeX
05 PROJECTS

Things I have built

OPEN SOURCE  ·  MULTI-AGENT

RepliCode

Turns research papers into verified, executable code. A LangGraph pipeline with Planner, Coder, and Critic agents, hybrid ChromaDB plus BM25 plus RRF retrieval, and sandboxed execution. RL fine-tuning is the planned next phase.

RAG  ·  STREAMLIT

SRL Research Assistant

An AI assistant that streamlined research knowledge for the Spacecraft Robotics Laboratory using a RAG pipeline built on Gemini with structured document parsing.

GENERATIVE AI  ·  TOOL

Student Cost-of-Living Calculator

A Streamlit app helping Canadian students estimate living expenses across cities, powered by Gemini Pro for contextual cost breakdowns.

NLP  ·  HEALTHCARE

Pharmacovigilance via Twitter NLP

Built during a Mitacs internship. Used NLP to extract and analyze adverse drug reactions from social data, processing over 30GB and improving ADR prediction accuracy by 15 percent.

REINFORCEMENT LEARNING  ·  GNC

Deep RL for Spacecraft Rendezvous

Reinforcement learning based trajectory optimization under uncertainty, implementing actor-critic methods for spacecraft rendezvous guidance.

ML  ·  DEPLOYED

Flight Fare Prediction

End-to-end project predicting domestic flight prices in India using Random Forest and XGBoost regressors, deployed as a Flask web application on Render.

CONTROL  ·  ROBOTICS

Adaptive Robotic Arm Control

Adaptive control framework for a 2-DOF robotic arm operating under time-varying payload uncertainties.

CLASSIFICATION  ·  ANALYTICS

HR Analytics for Retention

Classification models identifying key employee attrition factors and predicting churn risk, with actionable insights for retention strategy.

06 PUBLICATIONS

Published research

Koopman Expectation-Based Optimization for Offline Spacecraft Rendezvous Guidance Under Parametric Uncertainties

Arora, L. & Ulrich, S.  ·  Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 2026
View paper →

Koopman Expectation-Based Guidance for Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations under Uncertainties

Arora, L. & Ulrich, S.  ·  35th AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, 2025

Reinforcement Learning for Sequential Low-Thrust Orbit Raising Problem

Arora, L. & Dutta, A.  ·  AIAA SciTech Forum, 2020
View paper →

Objective Function Weight Selection for Sequential Low-Thrust Orbit-Raising Optimization Problem

Dutta, A. & Arora, L.  ·  29th AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, 2019
View paper →
07 WRITING

Reading books, one chapter at a time

Two running series where I work through foundational AI books chapter by chapter and write up what actually clicked.

Building LLMs from Scratch  ·  working through Sebastian Raschka's book chapter by chapter, documenting what each concept looks like once you actually implement it.
CHAPTER 01

My Learning Journey Begins

A beginner-friendly breakdown of the key takeaways from Chapter 1, and why building an LLM from scratch teaches you things no API ever will.

Read on Medium →
CHAPTER 02

Tokenization: Breaking Language Into Lego Bricks

How text becomes tokens, why the choice of tokenizer shapes everything downstream, and what byte-pair encoding is actually doing.

Read on Medium →
CHAPTER 03

Attention: Teaching Models What to Focus On

Walking through self-attention from first principles, from query-key-value intuition to the multi-head implementation.

Read on Medium →
CHAPTER 04 IN PROGRESS

Implementing a GPT Model from Scratch

Assembling the transformer blocks into a working architecture. Coming soon.

AI Engineering  ·  a weekly series working through Chip Huyen's book, one chapter per week, focused on what actually matters when you ship AI systems rather than just train them.
CHAPTER 01 WEEKLY

Introduction to Building AI Applications with Foundation Models

Why the shift from training models to building on top of them changes the whole engineering discipline, and what skills carry over from traditional ML.

Read on Substack →
CHAPTER 02

Understanding Foundation Models

Training data, modeling architecture, post-training, and sampling. The four levers that determine what a foundation model can and cannot do.

Read on Substack →
CHAPTER 03

Evaluation Methodology

Why evaluating open-ended generation is genuinely hard, and the methods that hold up. Close to my day job in frontier model evaluation.

Read on Substack →
CHAPTER 04 UPCOMING

Evaluate AI Systems

Moving from model evaluation to system evaluation. Publishing next week.

08 EDUCATION

Academic background

Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering

Carleton University
OTTAWA, CANADA  |  2020 – 2025

Thesis: Koopman Expectation-Based Optimization for Offline Spacecraft Rendezvous Guidance Under Parametric Uncertainties

View thesis →

M.S. in Aerospace Engineering

Wichita State University
KANSAS, USA  |  2017 – 2020

Thesis: Reinforcement learning framework for spacecraft low-thrust orbit raising

View thesis →

B.Tech in Aeronautical Engineering

Manipal Institute of Technology
KARNATAKA, INDIA  |  2013 – 2017

Foundation in aerospace systems, propulsion, and flight dynamics.

CERTIFICATIONS

IBM Data Science

Professional Specialization on Coursera

View certificate →

Business Analytics

IMS Proschool

09 CONTACT

Let's talk

Open to roles, research collaborations, and speaking engagements across AI, ML, and aerospace.

lakshayarora2701@gmail.com

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