a longer hello

about.

I’m Diptanil — a creative technologist, Ph.D. computer scientist, robotics researcher, and software engineer based in Austin. I build software that I'd want to use myself, and I keep this site as a workshop for thinking out loud.

I like taking the impossible-looking parts of math and engineering and turning them into systems that are real enough to test, debug, use, and improve.

A short version

I have always been the kind of person who breaks things open to understand how they work, then tries to rebuild them into something stranger and more useful. Today that shows up as robotics, AI systems, embedded hardware, developer tools, and notes that admit uncertainty.

My favorite work starts as a vague idea and becomes a working prototype: a robot that needs to move through the real world, a model that needs to be evaluated honestly, a tool that helps engineers move faster, or a system that makes hidden assumptions easier to see.

At Silicon Labs, I work on engineering software that supports semiconductor design and validation workflows.

A few facts

based in
Austin, TX
currently
SE-II, working at Silicon Laboratories Inc.
studied
Ph.D. (Computer Science), TAMU College Station (2023)
favorite langs
Go & Rust for shipping, Python for thinking, C for efficiency
also enjoys
science fiction, hiking, scuba diving, deep sky imaging
does not enjoy
unjustified microservices, animations that block the main thread

now

What I'm doing this season:

building
CLI-first developer tools

Tools for engineers who like fast feedback loops, inspectable state, boring file formats, and workflows that do not require a ceremony to be useful.

researching
Edge AI/ML models

Quantization, pruning, folding, benchmarks, and practical evaluation systems that treat accuracy as a starting point, not a personality.

photographing
Solar Photography.

Excited for my new MLAstro SHG 700.

the mascots

Three small characters who keep watch over different corners of the workshop.

Munshi-cha

Munshi-cha

Old-school accountant. Keeps the ledgers for Chaat and gives unsolicited stock advice.

Ramu-kaka

Ramu-kaka

Pours Chai. Says little. Has surprisingly good takes on consensus algorithms.

Jhingur

Jhingur

Resident bug-catcher. Lives in KeedaKhet, occasionally escapes into prod.