// · open to internships and new grad roles

Hello I'm Ali

CS student at ASU interested in embodied AI and robot learning.

Ali Kefel

// projects

ML / RL

AI Requirements Gathering Chatbot

Sep 2024 – Dec 2024

Interactive chatbot using the OpenAI API to simulate customer interactions, helping engineering students gather project requirements while providing instant, structured feedback. Implemented NLP techniques that improved student task completion rate by 30%.

OpenAI APIReactJavaScriptNLP
Robotics

CRS Lab — Robot Fleet Overhaul

Jan 2026 – Present

Restored and recommissioned a fleet of research robots (NAO V6 humanoids, Kinova MOVO, Clearpath Husky) by diagnosing hardware faults, configuring ROS 2 bridges via Docker on Linux, and authoring a public maintenance wiki to standardize lab onboarding.

ROS 2DockerLinuxGit
ML / RL

Trove

Jan 2026 – May 2026

Swift IOS App for users to store their favorite locations, utilizes Mapbox SDK and Firebase for storage. Implemented features include location tagging, social feature to share collections with friends and google SDK for authentication and sign in

SwiftSwiftUIJavaScriptNLP
Tools

Automation Transparency Survey

Full-stack survey application to evaluate desired levels of automation transparency in decision support systems. MongoDB backend on Render; React + Tailwind frontend.

MongoDBReactTailwind CSSRender
Tools

Black-Scholes Option Calculator

May 2024 – Jun 2024

Option price calculator based on the Black-Scholes pricing model with an interactive Streamlit UI and Seaborn heatmap for visualizing call and put prices across parameter ranges.

PythonStreamlitSeaborn
Vietnam Shrimp Farming Monitor
Robotics

Vietnam Shrimp Farming Monitor

Aquaculture monitoring system for shrimp farmers built with a team of seven through ASU EPICS. Designed Arduino schematics and sensor integration to monitor water quality and improve yield.

ArduinoC++KiCad

// education

  1. M.S. Computer Science

    Jan 2026Dec 2027
    Arizona State University · Tempe, AZ
    • 4+1 accelerated program · thesis track
    • Research in the Cooperative Robotic Systems (CRS) Lab under Dr. Yu Zhang
    Robot LearningReinforcement LearningEmbodied AI
  2. B.S. Computer Science

    Jan 2023Dec 2026
    Arizona State University · Tempe, AZ
    • Teaching assistant for CSE 205 — Data Structures and Algorithms
    • Undergraduate researcher · CRS Lab
    Artificial IntelligenceMachine LearningDatabasesDeep Learning

    Achievements

    5× Dean's ListNAMu Scholarship — $58,000Blackstone Launchpad Internship Program

    Organizations

    Board of LSAHacker DevilsSoDaGoogle Student Developer Club

// experience

  1. Grader

    May 2026July 2026
    Arizona State University · Tempe, AZ
    • Hosted office hours and study halls to strengthen students' confidence and understanding of course material.
    JavaObject-Oriented ProgrammingData Structures and Algorithms
  2. Software Engineering Intern

    Jan 2025Dec 2025
    MoveCars.com · Tempe, AZ
    • Built and maintained full-stack features across a React and Ruby on Rails stack deployed on AWS with Terraform, over three consecutive semesters.
    • Streamlined image optimization pipelines and redesigned layouts, achieving a 32% faster website load time per Lighthouse benchmarks.
    • Reduced developer iteration time by 20% by implementing Tailwind CSS and building reusable components, partials, and shortcodes in Hugo.
    • Designed and implemented a modular web-scraping architecture with Playwright and Selenium, enabling scalable extraction of instant auto-shipping quotes across multiple transporter portals.
    • Developed service-based content pages, integrating DOT and FMCSA datasets into the Rails backend to improve consumer trust and compliance visibility.
    ReactRuby on RailsAWSTerraformHugoMUI
  3. Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

    Jan 2024Dec 2024
    Arizona State University · Tempe, AZ
    • Facilitated weekly labs and office hours for over 150 students in Data Structures and Algorithms (CSE 205), supporting assignments and reinforcing core concepts.
    • Attended and assisted the instructor during lab sessions with over 150 students.
    • Hosted office hours and study halls to strengthen students' confidence and understanding of course material.
    • Created educational videos on data structures and algorithms to reinforce key concepts.
    • Stayed informed on campus programs and services to redirect students to the appropriate support resources.
    JavaJavaScript
  4. Arduino Team Lead

    Jan 2024May 2024
    Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS), Arizona State University · Tempe, AZ
    • Designed schematics for an aquaculture monitoring system, improving calibration accuracy by 50% through integration of high-quality probes.
    • Strengthened system usability by collaborating with local farmers in Vietnam to refine design schematics.
    C++KiCad

// contact

Let's work together

Open to research collaborations, internships, and new grad roles.