Harikrishna Kuttivelil

languages:

PythonC++Java

libraries:

PyTorchMLXTensorFlowPandasNumPySciPyNetworkXMatPlotLib

infrastructure:

GitDockerRedisSQLProtobuf

networking:

Client-ServerP2PSocket ProgrammingSimulation

ml systems:

Federated & Gossip LearningReinforcement LearningKnowledge DistillationParameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning

communications:

Academic WritingWorkshop FacilitationAgile ManagementOpen SourceEcosystem Development

teaching:

Universal Design Language (UDL)Technical Mentorship

tools:

LaTeXPowerPointDraw.ioDoxygen

University of California, Santa Cruz — Santa Cruz, CA
PhD in Computer Engineering
Jan. 2020 – Dec. 2026 (expected)

Thesis: Collaborative optimization of differentiated deep learning models in networks of heterogeneous clients
Advisor: Dr. Katia Obraczka | Affiliations: Inter-Networking Research Group (i-NRG), Teaching & Learning Center (TLC)

University of California, Santa Cruz — Santa Cruz, CA
BS in Computer Engineering
Sept. 2013 – June 2017
Cum Laude with Honors

University of California, Santa Cruz — Santa Cruz, CA
Graduate Student Researcher
Jan. 2020 – present

Conducted novel research in decentralized collaborative deep learning optimization in resource-constrained networks
Designed and published on methods, tools, and stacks on deploying models and experiments for edge intelligence systems
Managed teams of graduate, undergraduate, and undergraduate interns in large research projects within i-NRG
Published academic literature, produced internal and external documentation, and procured grants and fellowships

Associate Instructor
Sept. 2021 – Dec. 2025

Developed and taught undergrad course (CSE20) on Python, applying UDL and active learning to improve student experience
Selected as the TLC Graduate Pedagogy Fellow of Computer Science to develop and disseminate novel teaching strategies
Redesigned core graduate course (CSE200) and taught basic professional skills in research and teaching in computer science

Inria Université de Côte d'Azur — Sophia-Antipolis, France
Visiting Doctoral Student
Oct. 2022 – Apr. 2023

Facilitated and advanced collaborative, interdisciplinary research initiatives between teams located in Europe and the USA
Conducted research on novel sensor network intelligence protocols for heterogeneous device and network deployments
Represented teams' research interests and stakes to identify opportunities to seed and grow academic partnerships

Maxar Technologies — San José, CA
Associate Software Engineer
July 2017 – Jan. 2020

Developed dynamic spacecraft simulator with models for temperature, solar exposure, and orbits
Conducted digital twin experiments for multiple spacecraft in collaboration with internal and external partners
Developed bus and networking emulations for modeling new on-board hardware for future satellite launches

NSB: Network Simulation Bridge
Python, C++, Redis, Google Protobuf, OMNeT++, ns-3
Dec. 2022 – present

Created an open-source co-simulation tool to bridge applications to network simulators, enabling cross-layer modeling
Built high-bandwidth, low-latency async socket pipelines with Protobuf MPI, using Redis to store large payloads
Provided modular interconnects for new features, user-facing documentation, and Python and C++ API bindings
Published proof-of-concept at ACM MSWIM 2023 and presented at IEEE ICDCS 2025 — a premier systems conference
Awarded NSF POSE Phase I grant to fund transition to open source
Invited to NSF Innovation Corps to grow open source ecosystem, conducted 100+ user discovery interviews

Strudel: Distributed Deep Learning Experimental Platform
Python, PyTorch, MLX, Pandas, OMNeT++
Aug. 2023 – Dec. 2025

Created discrete event simulation (DES) platform for modeling distributed deep learning scenarios over networks
Architected modular plug-and-play interfaces for various datasets, models, networks, and experimental configurations
Validated various state-of-the-art federated learning protocols on IoT applications (e.g., image recognition, weather)
Implemented flexible ML frameworks for optimized performance in both Nvidia CUDA and Apple Silicon environments

Innovation Corps Program (NSF I-Corps)
2026 | National Science Foundation

Designated as team lead in an invite-only program for product ecosystem governance, discovery, and growth; 1 of 18 teams invited from the entire USA for the Winter 2026 cohort.

Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (NSF POSE) Phase I
2025 | National Science Foundation
Open-Sourcing the Network Simulation Bridge for Networked Applications Development — PI: Dr. Katia Obraczka

Applied as primary author and won $300,000+ award for the development of the open-source ecosystem for the NSB tool; 1 of 44 projects selected from the entire USA in 2025.

COR Large Grants Program (CLGP)
2024 | Committee-on-Research (COR) at UC Santa Cruz
Towards AI Democratization Through Decentralized Edge Intelligence — PI: Dr. Katia Obraczka

Applied as primary author and won the maximum award of $12,000 for research in AI/ML democratization and decentralized algorithms for edge intelligence; 1 of 32 projects selected from UC Santa Cruz in the 2024–2026 period.

TLC Graduate Pedagogy Fellowship
2022 | Teaching & Learning Center (TLC) at UC Santa Cruz

Selected to research novel teaching methods, disseminate knowledge within CSE department, and redesign a core course for CSE graduate students; 1 of 25 selected across all disciplines at UC Santa Cruz.

Best Teaching Assistant Award
2020 | Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) at UC Santa Cruz

Recognized for transitioning Intro. to Computer Networks (CSE150) to an online synchronous format due to the COVID-19 pandemic; singly selected from the department during the 2019–2020 academic year.

Apogee Award
2019 | Maxar Technologies

Recognized for improving dynamic spacecraft simulation with smarter temperature modeling and hardware bus emulation.

Chisme: Fully Decentralized Differentiated Deep Learning for IoT Intelligence
2025 – preprint — arXiv
Harikrishna Kuttivelil, Katia Obraczka

Novel gossip learning method for joint model training differentiated for clients' underlying data distributions.

Network Simulation Bridge: Bridging Distributed Applications with Network Simulation Platforms
2025 – tutorial — IEEE ICDCS 2025 / Workshops
Harikrishna Kuttivelil, Katia Obraczka

Public release of re-factored network co-simulation framework (NSB) and demonstration of high-bandwidth message relays.

Modeling, Simulating, and Evaluating Complex End-to-End Edge Intelligence Systems
2024 – book chapter — Springer
Harikrishna Kuttivelil, Katia Obraczka

Taxonomy and guide to test-driven design and development of edge intelligence systems, part of the IoT Edge Intelligence book.

Network Simulation Bridge: Bridging Applications to Network Simulators
2023 – paper — ACM MSWIM 2023 / Q2SWinet
Harikrishna Kuttivelil, Shesha Sreenivasamurthy, Lakshmi Krishnaswamy et al.

Proof-of-concept for NSB, a client-server framework for API-accessible MPI-based network co-simulation.

Community-Structured Decentralized Learning for Resilient Edge Intelligence
2021 – workshop — ACM SOSP 2021 / ResilientFL
Harikrishna Kuttivelil, Katia Obraczka

Preliminary work exploring the potential of fully decentralized federated learning within metadata-oriented communities.

Research & Teaching in Computer Science & Engineering (Graduate Course)
2023–25 | Full Course Redesign & Course Instruction
CSE200 — UC Santa Cruz

Mandatory core course on developing basic research and teaching skills. Redesigned to be more engaging and multi-modal via curated activities, provided pathways for research involvement, and uplifted teaching as a community practice.

Internet-of-Things (Undergraduate Senior Project Course & Lab)
2025 | Initial Course Design & Lab Design
CSE157/L — UC Santa Cruz

Advanced course on sensor interfacing, computer networking, and data processing. Contributed to application-based curriculum, designed scaffolded projects that culminated in a final miniature smart greenhouse project.

Introduction to Programming in Python (Undergraduate Lower-Division Course)
2021 | Course Material Redesign & Course Instruction
CSE20 — UC Santa Cruz

Beginner course on teaching programming basics via Python. Redeveloped materials and activities for online engagement, exposed students to the full programming stack from terminal to IDE.