University of Waterloo
President’s Scholarship of Distinction · Michael Egan Entrance Scholarship.
Harkaran Gill / CS at Waterloo
I build software to understand what is happening underneath. Lately that has meant tracing light in C++, training a small language model, and connecting code to a physical sorting system.
Depth of field varies camera rays; recursive scattering handles reflection, refraction, and diffuse surfaces. This is a conceptual pipeline, not an image of the renderer.
Computer Science
University of Waterloo · BCS, expected May 2031.
What I've built
A path tracer, a language model, and a hackathon-winning sorting system.
Three different projects, one common thread: getting beyond a working demo to understand the mechanics that make it work.
A CPU-based path tracer that builds an image by sending rays into a scene and recursively following how surfaces scatter light. Implemented the geometry and camera foundations before adding anti-aliasing, depth of field, and diffuse, reflective, and refractive materials.
Developed a 10-million-parameter character-level language model based on the GPT architecture. Trained on TinyStories under limited hardware, then adjusted the training setup and dataset to reach a reported 0.6 cross-entropy loss.
Led a four-person hackathon team that placed first out of 76 groups (300+ participants). Architected a waste-management solution, developed classification logic, and connected the software to an Arduino-controlled sorting mechanism.
A fan-made Android chess project with character-themed pieces. Its public repository contains Android source and screenshots of the opening and game screens.
President’s Scholarship of Distinction · Michael Egan Entrance Scholarship.
Governor General’s Medal of Academic Excellence.
Security fundamentals, network defense, Linux, Python automation, and technical documentation.
Provided one-on-one help, including debugging Python and Java assignments; adapted explanations of math and science concepts to each student.
Verified direct-to-store deliveries, resolved discrepancies with vendors, drivers, and associates, and reported bugs and crashes in the internal receiving app.
Led the CS division, delivered 10+ workshops on AI, Python, and game development, and taught data structures and algorithms through a coding contest curriculum.
A short list, not a wall of logos. My projects above show where these tools fit.
The full one-page view of projects, experience, education, and skills.
I'm interested in software engineering, systems, and low-level computing. Email is the best way to reach me.