index.html

<!DOCTYPE HTML>
<!--
	Dimension by HTML5 UP
	html5up.net | @ajlkn
	Free for personal and commercial use under the CCA 3.0 license (html5up.net/license)
-->
<html lang="en">
	<head>
		<title>Neil Chulani | Systems, Robotics, and Computer Architecture</title>
		<meta charset="utf-8" />
		<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, user-scalable=no" />
		<meta name="description" content="Neil Chulani is a systems engineer working across operating systems, embedded systems, computer architecture, and robotics." />
		<link rel="preload" href="images/bg.jpg" as="image" />
		<link rel="stylesheet" href="assets/css/main.css" />
		<link rel="stylesheet" href="assets/css/site.css" />
		<noscript><link rel="stylesheet" href="assets/css/noscript.css" /></noscript>
	</head>
	<body class="is-preload">

		<!-- Wrapper -->
			<div id="wrapper">

				<!-- Header -->
					<header id="header">
						<div class="logo">
							<a href="assets/Neil_Chulani_Resume.pdf" download="Neil_Chulani_Resume.pdf" aria-label="Download Neil Chulani's resume">
								<span class="icon fa-file" aria-hidden="true"></span>
							</a>
						</div>
						<div class="content">
							<div class="inner">
								<h1>Neil Chulani</h1>
								<p>Systems engineer working where hardware, software, and intelligent machines meet.</p>
							</div>
						</div>
						<nav aria-label="Primary navigation">
							<ul>
								<li><a href="#intro">Intro</a></li>
								<li><a href="#education">Education</a></li>
								<li><a href="#projects">Projects</a></li>
								<li><a href="#work">Work</a></li>
							</ul>
						</nav>
					</header>

				<!-- Main -->
					<main id="main">

						<!-- Intro -->
							<article id="intro">
								<h2 class="major">Intro</h2>
								<span class="image main"><img src="images/me.jpg" alt="Neil Chulani" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /></span>
								<p>I am a kernel architecture engineer at Apple and a recent Pomona College graduate. I like building across abstraction layers: operating-system infrastructure, secure embedded firmware, processor design, and reinforcement-learning controllers for unusual robots.</p>
								<p>That curiosity started early. At seven, I picked up both my first tennis racket and Scratch program; years later it led me to captain Pomona-Pitzer men's tennis and build a programmable computer from 74LS logic on breadboards. This site is an attempt to keep track of what came next.</p>
								<ul class="actions compact-actions">
									<li><a href="#projects" class="button primary">See projects</a></li>
									<li><a href="https://github.com/TnnsBeast" class="button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GitHub</a></li>
								</ul>
							</article>

						<!-- Education -->
							<article id="education">
								<h2 class="major">Education</h2>
								<span class="image main"><img src="images/pomona.jpg" alt="Pomona College campus" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /></span>
								<h3>Pomona College</h3>
								<p class="role-meta">Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, double major</p>
								<p>I graduated magna cum laude with a 3.98 GPA. My honors include Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, the Blair Nixon Memorial Award, and Pomona College Scholar.</p>

								<h3>Research &amp; Teaching</h3>
								<ul>
									<li>Mobile Robotics Lab: reinforcement-learning control and PCB design for autonomous robots</li>
									<li>Harvey Mudd Biophotonics Lab: multicore fiber bundles for neuroscience</li>
									<li>Teaching assistant: Microprocessor Systems, Real-Time Systems, Computer Systems, and Data Structures</li>
									<li>Senior thesis: formal proofs for post-quantum cryptography</li>
								</ul>

								<h3>Selected Coursework</h3>
								<div class="detail-grid">
									<section>
										<h4>Computer Science</h4>
										<p>Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning, Real-Time Systems, Compiler Design, Computer Systems, Programming Language Theory, Algorithms</p>
									</section>
									<section>
										<h4>Engineering</h4>
										<p>System-on-Chip Design, Microprocessor Systems, VLSI, Neuroscience and Optics Research</p>
									</section>
									<section>
										<h4>Mathematics</h4>
										<p>Number Theory and Cryptography, Abstract Algebra, Real Analysis, Probability, Computational Statistics, Mathematics of Big Data</p>
									</section>
								</div>
							</article>

						<!-- Projects -->
							<article id="projects">
								<h2 class="major">Projects</h2>

								<section class="project project-featured">
									<p class="eyebrow">ICRA 2026 · Vienna, Austria</p>
									<h3>Graph-Structured Reinforcement Learning for a Transformable-Wheel Robot</h3>
									<div class="project-gallery project-gallery-two">
										<figure>
											<img src="images/icra-transformable-wheel-robot.jpg" alt="Transformable-wheel research robot with four reconfigurable wheel modules" loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
											<figcaption>The physical transformable-wheel platform.</figcaption>
										</figure>
										<figure>
											<img src="images/icra-gnn-reward.png" alt="Graph neural network policy reward increasing over training" loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
											<figcaption>Evaluation reward during GNN policy training.</figcaption>
										</figure>
									</div>
									<p>I built a custom MuJoCo/MJX reinforcement-learning environment for step traversal and compared a flat MLP policy with a graph-structured actor-critic. The graph models the robot as one body node and four repeated wheel-module nodes, using message passing to encode the platform's morphology and coordination constraints. In our experiments, that structure helped the controller escape early spinning and heaving failure modes faster.</p>
									<p>I co-authored the resulting paper and presented the work at the Xplore workshop at ICRA 2026 in Vienna.</p>
									<ul class="actions compact-actions">
										<li><a href="https://cs.pomona.edu/~ajc/pdf/Tang.2026.Xplore.GNN.pdf" class="button primary" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read the paper</a></li>
										<li><a href="https://xplore-workshop.github.io/" class="button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Workshop</a></li>
									</ul>
								</section>

								<section class="project project-callout">
									<p class="eyebrow">ICRA 2026 Tutorial</p>
									<h3>SimR: Simulation in Robotics</h3>
									<p>I co-authored a hands-on introduction to simulation for robotics research. The tutorial moves from simulator fundamentals and model building through visualization, scalable experiments, and training a reinforcement-learning agent.</p>
									<a href="https://cs.pomona.edu/~ajc/tutorials/simr-icra2026/" class="button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Explore the tutorial</a>
								</section>

								<section class="project">
									<h3>8-Bit Computer</h3>
									<figure class="video-frame video-frame-wide">
										<video class="project-video" autoplay loop muted playsinline controls preload="none" poster="images/8bit-poster.jpg" aria-label="Eight-bit breadboard computer running a program">
											<source data-src="images/8bit.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
											Your browser does not support HTML video. <a href="images/8bit.mp4">Download the clip</a>.
										</video>
									</figure>
									<p>To understand what happens below machine code, I built a fully programmable 8-bit computer based on the SAP-1 architecture - first on breadboards and later as a PCB - using 74LS logic gates.</p>
								</section>

								<section class="project">
									<h3>VLSI Transistor-Level CPU</h3>
									<div class="slideshow-container" aria-label="Register layout slideshow">
										<figure class="project-slide is-active">
											<img src="images/register1.jpg" alt="Full transistor-level layout of an eight-bit register" loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
										</figure>
										<figure class="project-slide">
											<img src="images/register2.jpg" alt="Detailed view of the register's transistor-level layout" loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
										</figure>
										<figure class="project-slide">
											<img src="images/register3.jpg" alt="Close-up of metal routing in the register layout" loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
										</figure>
									</div>
									<p>I designed this 8-bit register at the transistor level, specifying the silicon doping, device geometry, wiring, and transitions between metal layers. It was the next step down the abstraction stack after the breadboard computer.</p>
									<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qWbrQJfoxae6FZjbfrA-bC37ML38EmliBcSmzkWHqQU/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Read the project log</a>.
								</section>

								<section class="project">
									<h3>NeoObscura Phototransistor Camera</h3>
									<div class="video-grid">
										<figure class="video-frame">
											<video class="project-video" autoplay loop muted playsinline controls preload="none" poster="images/flashlight-poster.jpg" aria-label="Phototransistor camera imaging a flashlight">
												<source data-src="images/flashlight.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
												Your browser does not support HTML video. <a href="images/flashlight.mp4">Download the clip</a>.
											</video>
											<figcaption>Flashlight</figcaption>
										</figure>
										<figure class="video-frame">
											<video class="project-video" autoplay loop muted playsinline controls preload="none" poster="images/laser-poster.jpg" aria-label="Phototransistor camera imaging a laser">
												<source data-src="images/laser.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
												Your browser does not support HTML video. <a href="images/laser.mp4">Download the clip</a>.
											</video>
											<figcaption>Laser</figcaption>
										</figure>
										<figure class="video-frame">
											<video class="project-video" autoplay loop muted playsinline controls preload="none" poster="images/smiley-poster.jpg" aria-label="Phototransistor camera imaging a smiley face">
												<source data-src="images/smiley.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
												Your browser does not support HTML video. <a href="images/smiley.mp4">Download the clip</a>.
											</video>
											<figcaption>Smiley face</figcaption>
										</figure>
									</div>
									<p>NeoObscura is a custom camera sensor built from 1,200 phototransistors with hardware-accelerated image compression. A 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 MCU and iCE40 FPGA work together to produce a 40-by-30-pixel image.</p>
									<a href="https://tnnsbeast.github.io/NeoObscura/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visit the project site</a>.
								</section>

								<section class="project">
									<h3>FPGA-Based AES-128 Hardware Accelerator</h3>
									<a class="document-preview" href="images/aes.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">
										<img src="images/aes-preview.jpg" alt="First page of the AES-128 hardware accelerator report" loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
										<span>Open the project report</span>
									</a>
									<p>This SystemVerilog AES-128 accelerator uses a sequential architecture to fit within roughly 5,000 FPGA LUTs. It receives plaintext and a key from an MCU over SPI, then returns the ciphertext and a ready signal.</p>
									<a href="https://github.com/TnnsBeast/AES-128-FPGA-Accelerator" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">View the source</a>.
								</section>

								<section class="project">
									<h3>Latent Diffusion</h3>
									<a class="document-preview" href="images/Understanding%20and%20Expanding%20the%20Conditioning%20Mechanisms%20in%20High-Resolution%20Image%20Synthesis%20with%20Latent%20Diffusion%20Models.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">
										<img src="images/latent-diffusion-preview.jpg" alt="First page of a paper about conditioning latent diffusion models" loading="lazy" decoding="async" />
										<span>Open the paper</span>
									</a>
									<p>I explored conditioning mechanisms in latent-diffusion image generation and extended them into the audio domain, producing a model that generates images from human speech.</p>
								</section>

								<section class="project">
									<h3>More</h3>
									<ul>
										<li>Two-time finalist and presenter in the CSAW Embedded Security Challenge (2024 and 2025)</li>
										<li>School security prototype using Google's Teachable Machine and JavaScript</li>
										<li>Music-reactive LED system using Raspberry Pi and Python</li>
										<li>RFID door lock and iOS safety and public-health apps</li>
									</ul>
								</section>
							</article>

						<!-- Work -->
							<article id="work">
								<h2 class="major">Work</h2>

								<section class="role">
									<p class="eyebrow">June 2026 - Present</p>
									<h3>Apple · Kernel Architecture Engineer</h3>
									<p>I work on the Core Drivers Architecture team, leading work on SystemExtensions - userspace drivers hosted within macOS applications - and developing critical software across kernel driver systems and bootloaders.</p>
								</section>

								<section class="role">
									<p class="eyebrow">Summers 2023, 2024, and 2025</p>
									<h3>Apple · Battery Firmware Engineering Intern</h3>
									<span class="image main"><img src="images/battery.jpeg" alt="Battery electronics and test equipment" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /></span>
									<p>I developed embedded firmware with Apple's Battery and Custom Silicon team, including secure update and secure bootloader work, I2C drivers, and RTOS features on Arm platforms. In 2024, I also worked with Platform Architecture Security to develop a framework for secure signing and attestation for emerging chips.</p>
								</section>

								<section class="role role-highlight">
									<p class="eyebrow">Fall 2025</p>
									<h3>Clay-Wolkin Fellow · Harvey Mudd College</h3>
									<p>I conducted applied VLSI and system-on-chip research on the open-source CORE-V Wally RISC-V processor. I also contributed to the RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture Manual, with an emphasis on hypervisor and cache extensions.</p>
									<ul class="actions compact-actions">
										<li><a href="https://www.hmc.edu/engineering/undergraduate-research-experiences/david-harris-research-group/" class="button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">About the fellowship</a></li>
										<li><a href="https://github.com/openhwgroup/cvw" class="button" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CORE-V Wally</a></li>
									</ul>
								</section>

								<section class="role">
									<p class="eyebrow">Spring 2025</p>
									<h3>Johnson &amp; Johnson Vision · Harvey Mudd Engineering Clinic</h3>
									<p>I created an ultra-high-speed camera and optical system for imaging cavitation bubbles generated by femtosecond-laser interactions with corneal tissue during LASIK eye surgery.</p>
								</section>

								<section class="role">
									<p class="eyebrow">June 2021 - August 2022</p>
									<h3>Arcadia Tractor · Software &amp; Hardware Engineer</h3>
									<span class="image main"><img src="images/arcadia.jpg" alt="Arcadia Tractor autonomous golf-ball picker" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /></span>
									<p>I worked on an autonomous golf-driving-range ball picker, built a machine-learning model for golf-ball detection, and developed a CAN bus battery monitor alongside other embedded ROS work.</p>
								</section>

								<section class="role">
									<p class="eyebrow">Summer 2020</p>
									<h3>Cisco Systems · Product Management Intern</h3>
									<p>I researched remote-work needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and prototyped a Raspberry Pi-based home telepresence concept.</p>
								</section>
							</article>
					</main>

				<!-- Footer -->
					<footer id="footer">
						<p class="copyright"><a href="mailto:neil22@me.com">neil22@me.com</a></p>
						<p class="copyright"><a href="assets/Neil_Chulani_Resume.pdf" download="Neil_Chulani_Resume.pdf">Resume</a> · <a href="https://github.com/TnnsBeast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GitHub</a></p>
					</footer>

			</div>

		<!-- BG -->
			<div id="bg"></div>

		<!-- Scripts -->
			<script src="assets/js/jquery.min.js"></script>
			<script src="assets/js/browser.min.js"></script>
			<script src="assets/js/breakpoints.min.js"></script>
			<script src="assets/js/util.js"></script>
			<script src="assets/js/main.js"></script>
			<script src="assets/js/site.js"></script>

	</body>
</html>