Akanksha “Aki”Yadav
Software Engineer with experience in AI research, full-stack development, and cloud-native systems. I work across Java, Python, and TypeScript — building production microservices with Spring Boot and Kafka, React/Redux frontends, and ML pipelines in PyTorch. Comfortable from REST APIs and distributed systems down to CNN/ViT model evaluation and DevOps with Docker, Kubernetes, and AWS.
Featured Projects
Education
Bachelor of Computer Science
University of Dayton • May 2025
- Dean’s Honors List
- University of Dayton Global Scholarship
- JP Morgan Chase Hack for Good 2024 Participant
Professional Affiliations
- Grace Hopper Celebration (VIP Attendee, 2025)
- Society of Women Engineers (Member, 2022 – Present)
Projects
Meadowlawn CRM
Production Spring Boot + MongoDB CRM with Google SSO and CI/CD via Docker & Jenkins (deployed to Heroku).
Deepfake Detection Research
Benchmarked CNNs and Vision Transformers across FaceForensics++, DFDC, Celeb-DF, OpenForensics (↑15% accuracy).
AR Construction Safety (DQN)
Built AR hazard simulations using CNNs + Deep Q-Networks achieving 90%+ hazard detection accuracy.
Horizon Messenger (MERN)
Real-time messaging with WebSockets + JWT authentication.
Unity Multiplayer Shooter
Multiplayer game with synchronized gameplay & optimized loops.
Slingshot Bird (Unity)
Physics-based gameplay with trajectory prediction & NUnit-tested logic.
Experience
Software Engineer
Affirm • Remote, USA • Jun 2025 – Present
- Developed AI-driven loan approval platform leveraging Claude 3 for predictive scoring, default estimation, and risk assessment.
- Implemented Spring Boot microservices via gRPC and Kafka for real-time credit scoring pipelines, improving system reliability by 19%.
- Designed RESTful APIs for loan approval forecasts, risk profiles, and fraud alerts — reducing latency by 22%.
- Built React/TypeScript/Redux dashboards with AWS Aurora and Kafka streams, improving reporting speed by 17%.
- Secured platform with Spring Security, OAuth 2.0, and JWT; maintained SOC 2, PCI DSS, and FFIEC compliance.
AI Research Assistant
Department of Computer Science, University of Dayton • Dayton, OH • June 2024 – May 2025
- Benchmarked CNN and Vision Transformer architectures on FaceForensics++, DFDC, Celeb-DF, and OpenForensics datasets, improving classification accuracy by 15%.
- Built reproducible preprocessing and evaluation pipelines in PyTorch for large-scale deepfake detection experiments.
- Conducting comparative analysis of state-of-the-art deepfake detection methods; preparing manuscript for publication.
Research Assistant – Augmented Reality Construction Safety
Department of Computer Science, University of Dayton • Dayton, OH • June 2024 – May 2025
- Developed AR safety training simulations enhancing hazard recognition in immersive environments.
- Integrated CNNs and Deep Q-Networks (DQN) for AI-driven hazard detection achieving 90%+ accuracy.
- Evaluated emerging safety technologies including AR/VR, Computer Vision, IoT, and Predictive Analytics.
Software Development Engineer (Co-op)
Meadowlawn Condominiums • Cleveland, OH • Aug 2023 – May 2024
- Designed and deployed production CRM using Spring Boot, Java, JavaScript, and MongoDB.
- Implemented Google SSO authentication and RESTful APIs.
- Containerized and deployed the application using Docker and Jenkins CI/CD enabling automated builds and reliable Heroku deployment.
Software Development Engineer Intern
Lavner Education @ Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA • May 2023 – Aug 2023
- Developed reporting tools using C#, .NET MVC, XML, and Power BI; automated attendance workflows.
- Implemented #1 requested feature – automated report scheduling for after-test results and end-of-week attendance.
- Led UI/workflow decisions resulting in a 20% reduction in support requests.
- Wrote automated scripts for weekly full database backups.
Recognition & Leadership
Featured in University of Dayton Magazine — ULead Emerging Leaders Program
Selected to represent the ULead Emerging Leaders Program and featured discussing leadership development, inclusion, and community impact.
Read article →Outstanding Student Award — University of Dayton (2023)
Recipient of the 2023 Student Leadership Award for exceptional academic achievement, leadership, service, and contributions to building a welcoming and inclusive campus community.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Issued by Amazon Web Services Training and Certification. Demonstrated foundational cloud fluency and understanding of core AWS services, architectures, and best practices.
View badge →Student Government Association — Senior Senator / Senior Representative
Served as a senior student representative and worked with campus stakeholders to improve student experience and safety initiatives.
- Partnered with Public Safety and campus leadership to support safety-focused initiatives and promote a violence-free campus environment.
- Advocated for student concerns by collecting feedback, elevating issues through SGA channels, and coordinating follow-ups with relevant departments.
- Supported campus programming and student engagement efforts by helping plan, promote, and execute student-facing initiatives.
Distance 4 Dreams
President & Director of Finance
- Successfully raised and donated $7,000 to A Special Wish Foundation to support a child diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and Wilms’ Tumor (kidney cancer).
- Led planning and execution of a parent’s weekend breakfast fundraiser, raising a record-breaking $3,000 in a single event.
- Coordinated vendors, managed logistics, and led volunteer teams to ensure smooth execution of all fundraising initiatives.