AKSHAT LAL

Computer Engineering @University of Waterloo

i build at the intersection of hardware, software, and problem-solving

>led VEX Robotics for four seasons, going from team member to Team Lead directing design, build, and test

>built Caissa, a chess engine in C# with an AI opponent across 3 rule sets

>laying out PCBs in Altium for a robotic arm on the Student Design Team

>shipped a full-stack task manager with Next.js, TypeScript & SQL

>built a Java Swing image editor with custom pixel-manipulation filters

>starting Computer Engineering @Waterloo this fall

>seeking summer 2027 co-op opportunities

Projects

Caissa
Caissaaug '26

A C# chess engine and WinForms desktop app built from scratch, with reusable board, piece, move, and game-state models. Implements full movement, check, checkmate, and capture logic for all 6 piece types across Standard, Chess960, and Atomic rule sets, plus an AI opponent with its own move-evaluation logic and a UI layer with move highlighting, clocks, and move history.

C#.NETWinForms
Task Management Web App
Task Management Web Appjul '26

A full-stack task manager built with Next.js and TypeScript, supporting task creation, editing, organization, and status tracking end to end. Backed by a SQL schema and persistence layer so tasks and project state reliably survive across sessions.

TypeScriptNext.jsSQL
Portfolio
Portfolioaug '26

This site — a responsive personal portfolio built with Next.js and TypeScript, with a light/dark mode toggle and scroll-triggered animation. Deployed on Vercel with continuous deployment so every pushed change goes live automatically.

Next.jsTypeScript
Java Image Editor
Java Image Editorjun '26

A desktop image editor built in Java Swing, separating image data, editing operations, and UI into distinct components. Event-driven controls apply edits interactively, including grayscale, cropping, rotation, and brightness adjustment via custom pixel-manipulation algorithms.

JavaSwingOOP
Simon
Simonmay '26

A memory game built on Arduino, focused on embedded programming and hardware interaction — reading button input, driving LEDs, and timing sequences directly on the board.

ArduinoC++
NBA Research
NBA Researchapr '26

A data project exploring the relationship between player height and rebounding using publicly available NBA statistics.

PythonData

Experience

Team Lead

VEX Robotics Team

2022 – 2026
  • Competed for 4 consecutive seasons, progressing from team member to Team Lead directing the full design, build, test, and iteration cycle
  • Directed mechanical design, robot assembly, and programming priorities to deliver a functioning competition robot each season
  • Ran reliability tests ahead of competition to catch failure points early, reducing the risk of in-match breakdowns

New Member, Electrical Team

Student Design Team

2026 – Present
  • Design and lay out printed circuit boards in Altium Designer for onboard vehicle electronics
  • Collaborate with senior electrical and mechanical members on component selection and board layout ahead of a moving robotic-arm subsystem build

Computer Engineering

University of Waterloo

2026 – 2031
  • Bachelor of Applied Science, starting Computer Engineering this fall

Skills

Languages

C#JavaC++PythonTypeScriptJavaScriptHTMLCSSSQL

Frameworks & Tools

.NETWinFormsReactNext.jsArduinoGitVercelAltium Designer

Concepts

OOPData Structures & AlgorithmsAPI IntegrationGUI DevelopmentDebuggingPCB Design