Junaid D.
Designer, Engineer, CMU alum in Atlanta, GA
About
I'm Junaid. I design experiences, write code, and tell stories. I’m a fan of white space, personal space and outer space. I like jokes too.
Over the course of my tech career, I’ve worn many hats: from student to engineer, coding instructor, and designer. What has remained constant is my love for design. I’m known for having a sharp eye for detail while never losing sight of the bigger picture. My mission is to craft intuitive, seamless experiences that simply work. I believe in reducing cognitive load, humanizing interactions to reflect authentic human intentions, and narrowing the gap between intent and impact.
I hold a Bachelor's in Computer Science from the University of Mumbai and a Master’s in Information Systems from Carnegie Mellon University. My academic highlights include courses on Distributed Systems, API Design, and Human-Centered Software Design.
I’m also deeply interested in tennis, cinema, philosophy, comedy, ed tech, APIs, developer docs, cats, sunsets, and architecture.
Work Experience
Fostering a thriving tennis community while driving the growth of the UTR Flex League ecosystem. Actively networking with and recruiting potential players, creating league draws, and overseeing the league's rapid expansion and success, with a focus on building community connections and sustaining growth.
Solved complex data engineering challenges at a Y Combinator-backed company (YC S21). Leveraged Argo Workflows, Docker, Kubernetes, Go, TypeScript, React, Postgres, and Amazon Web Services to build scalable solutions and streamline operations.
Led remote programming classes for students of all ages. Designed and developed the curriculum for web application development, focusing on the fundamentals of programming to foster a strong foundation in coding skills.
Designed and developed internal applications for employees involved in the full system assembly of high-end computing hardware. Focused on streamlining processes and enhancing productivity through tailored software solutions.
Collaborated with the Student Affairs IT team to develop custom web applications supporting 14 departments across campus. One notable project digitized university-wide housing check-in for new admits, digitizing the overall admissions experience.
Migrated the Fact Viewer application to a Docker container, enabling operating system-level virtualization. This transition enhanced scalability and deployment efficiency, streamlining application management.
Education
Coursework included Designing Human Centered Software, Distributed Systems, API Design and Implementation, Database Management.
Coursework included Analysis of Algorithms, Structured Programming Approach, Computer Graphics, Cryptography and System Security.
Projects
Developed a GitLab integration, expanding the tool's capabilities beyond GitHub to meet the demands of enterprise customers using GitLab.
Developed a system to manage, run, and integrate workflow templates, enabling seamless workflow processes with all major Git providers.
Developed Timetracker to streamline the clock-in and clock-out process for assembly line employees, ensuring accurate payment calculations and improving time management.
Developed a web application to digitize and streamline the student housing check-in process at Carnegie Mellon University, replacing an inefficient paper-based system.
Writing
For my 26th birthday, I flew to California to do a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation in North Fork, California. Read more.
I designed and implemented an ArrayList in Java without using the Java Collections framework. Read more.