About Me
I'm a software engineer with over 4 years of experience, currently exploring the intriguing world of generative AI with the Office AI team at Microsoft. I've been contributing to AI-powered productivity tools, with a primary focus on the M365 Copilot project.
In my journey at Microsoft, I've had a hand in various projects that have made their way into production, won multiple awards for my contributions, filed a few patents, actively participated in the prototyping of new incubations, and seen my contributions showcased at notable conferences such as MS Build and GitHub Universe.
I'm also proud of having initiated the GitHub Copilot Voice research project, known as "Hey GitHub/Hello Cody: A Voice Assistant for VS Code". This was a remarkable part of Microsoft's Global Hackathon. Post-victory, our team collaborated with GitHub Next, enhancing GitHub Copilot with voice interactions and pushing the boundaries of AI-assisted coding. This project also led to patent filings, another exciting accomplishment.
Before my present role, I honed my skills as a full-stack software engineer in Microsoft's C+E group, developing enterprise applications for the sales domain using a wide array of web and data technologies. I had the opportunity to contribute to the ideation and development of multiple products that continue to be a critical part of Microsoft's sales workflows.
While in college, I loved tinkering with Conversational AI and have crafted voice apps (Alexa Skills) both on my own and for clients and startups. Some of these apps have won awards in contests and hackathons hosted by Amazon. Feel free to check out these side projects on my website and view my contributions on GitHub.
Outside my main job, I immerse myself in side projects and dive into hackathons. I've also always had a knack for teaching and sharing knowledge. I've been part of various volunteering initiatives, both within and outside Microsoft, with the aim of spreading the joy of programming.
My tech toolkit includes TypeScript, ReactJS, JavaScript, Next JS, Python, Azure, Open AI APIs, Prompt Engineering and more.
Experience Timeline
- Working on new initiatives in the Productivity Innovations & Incubation team in the Office AI division.
- Rapid prototyping and new product development with various emerging technologies.
- Partnering with GitHub Next to take my hackathon innovation Hello Cody to market via the GitHub Copilot Voice project.
- Worked as a full-stack developer with a front-end concentration in the Azure Commerce+Ecosystems group in Azure Cloud+AI.
- Designed and helped develop some of the most critical tools and apps used by Microsoft sellers everyday.
- Part-time role where I developed consumer-grade Alexa Skills and Google Assistant actions for clients.
- Also developed end-to-end solutions for clients around managing app content, integrating Alexa with Raspberry Pi, etc.
- Ideated, developed, and deployed several consumer-facing Amazon Alexa Skills using Node.js, DynamoDB, and AWS Lambda.
- One of the skills developed, Trivia Nation, won the Skill of the Month award for the best game skill in a monthly contest organized by Amazon at the time.
- Interned at the Lab for Spatial Informatics where I worked on building a GUI application to convert 2D CAD drawing models into GIS ready data models.
Education
- Manipal Institute of Technology, India
Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.), Computer Science & Engineering, 2015 - 2019
Minored in Big Data
- Georgia Institute of Technology
Professional Certificate in Human-Computer Interaction, Issued Feb 2022
HCI CourseView certificate
Skills
Level of Experience:
High
Mid
Low
Personal Projects Showcase (Select)
Awards and Recognition
- 1st place, Microsoft Global Hackathon 2021, Hack for Developer Productivity
Won first place in the 'Hack for Developer productivity' challenge in Microsoft's internal hackathon - one of the biggest in the world with 90,000+ participants. My contributions included product ideation and building the core capabilities of the product. The project also won another award in a Sponsored Hack titled "Observability Assistance." Post-winning, the project was selected for incubation by the GitHub Next team. Working with them, the project was brought to life as 'Hey GitHub' and launched at GitHub Universe 2022. The project also led to multiple patent filings.
- Popular choice award, Fix Hack Learn Hackathon 2022, Microsoft
Won a popular choice award in another Microsoft internal hackathon.
- Monthly Recognition Awards, Microsoft
Won monthly recognition awards multiple times for my contributions.
- "Devanger of the year 2020", Facebook Developer Circles, Hyderabad
Awarded for my contributions to the developer circles community in Hyderabad. I was a speaker at various events at different colleges.
- Nominated: Alexa Star developer of the year 2018, Amazon AI Conclave
Nominated as one of the top two nominees by Amazon among thousands of developers in India.
- First place, Amazon Alexa Skill Wizards Challenge 2018
Awarded First place amongst participants from all colleges in India.
- Second Place, Techgig Code Gladiators 2018
Awarded second place in the Amazon Alexa theme
- Booking.com International Travel Hackathon Finalist 2019
Top 5 Finalist among applicants from 60+ countries
- Best Alexa Skill of the month
Awarded by Amazon in the months December 2017, June 2018
Volunteering
- Educator, Educative Inc.
Curriculum Design and Course Development
- Microsoft 4Afrika (2020-2021)
Peer mentoring college student. Providing technical and other guidance as part of Microsoft Aspire program.
- Newtonschool Mentor (2020-2021)
Helping a cohort of 10 college students take their first steps in the tech industry.
- Teach Code For Good (2018)
Taught Python to kids in a government school.
- Amazon Alexa Student Influencer
Mentored students in my college in the voice space as part of an official Amazon program for students.