Hey!
I'm Abhigya (pronounced uh-big-yuh), a Presidential and Viterbi Scholar studying Computer Engineering and Computer Science at USC. Outside of academics, I make a ton of bagels and debate competitively at the Trojan Debate Society.
I've previously worked on telemetry pipelines for lunar quadrupeds and data engineering for large-scale government systems. Lately, I've been exploring edge hardware computing for complex rhetorical synthesis using SLMs. I'm also deeply interested in interaction design, currently developing an immersive, motion-heavy web experience using Next.js and GSAP for the Trojan Debate Society.
Scope around the site and check out my work! Reach out to me at abhigyagoel10@gmail.com if you're interested in talking!
Work Experience
RTX (Raytheon)
Embedded Software Engineering Intern
- Developing real-time embedded C++ on Linux/RTOS for the AN/TPY-2 missile defense radar under a Secret-cleared program
- Integrating and testing radar signal processing firmware, executing CI/CD via Jenkins and Atlassian tooling
George Mason University
Data Engineering Intern
- Built Python data pipeline automating collection and BigQuery ingestion of federal AI uses and policy news, enabling real-time tracking of U.S. government AI adoption across 20+ agencies
- Developed SLM-powered NLP deduplication using sentence-transformers and cosine similarity to cluster 15,000+ datapoints by topic across sources, reducing 30% redundancy
- Engineered multi-source REST API scraper with NLP relevance filtering, ingesting 50+ articles daily to maintain real-time policy tracking for researchers
- Containerized with Docker and deployed on Google Cloud Run, automating daily ETL via Cloud Scheduler with GCP Secret Manager and fault-tolerant recovery
University of Southern California
CURVE Research Fellow
- Developed real-time ROS2 (Python) pipeline processing quadruped robot telemetry for lunar terrain analysis for NASA Ames
- Used forward kinematics & Jacobian-based penetration force calculations to estimate terrain stiffness from gait telemetry
- Built multithreaded 3D visualization with OpenCV, generating real-time heatmaps & uncertainty overlays in Foxglove Studio
Minvest
UI/UX and Frontend Development Intern
- Led UI/UX strategy for investment startup, conducting system redesign through analytics, increasing user retention by 65%
- Designed 40+ Figma mobile & web wireframes, translating into production interfaces using React & TypeScript
- Architected frontend standards & component library adopted by 5+ engineers, reducing feature development cycle by 40%
theCoderSchool
Code and Robotics Coach
- Designed 3-month embedded systems curriculum teaching Arduino programming, circuit design, and sensor integration
- Taught 15+ students to build autonomous robots using motor control, ultrasonic sensing, and decision logic
George Mason University
Research Intern & Quantum Education Development Intern
- Presented research on integration of quantum machine learning and quantum sensing to develop quantum-enabled drones at Quantum World Congress 2023
- Developed quantum computer engineering curriculum for "Quantum in Your Classroom" initiative to spread quantum education in DC, MD, VA area
Projects
Autonomous Quadcopter for 3D Mapping and Human Detection
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Finalist
- Built sub-$1000 drone on Raspberry Pi with Navio2 flight controller, LiDAR, camera, and Google Edge TPU, designing custom mounts and power distribution across 5 subsystems for stable autonomous flight, enhancing disaster response and mapping
- Developed ROS (C++) collision avoidance using LiDAR and potential field navigation, enabling autonomous obstacle detection
- Generated 3D disaster reconstructions using photogrammetry, processing drone imagery through structure-from-motion and texture mapping for post-disaster damage assessment
- Built and deployed convolutional neural network for human detection using TensorFlow, quantizing onto Google Edge TPU for 450% inference speedup (9 FPS, 56% mAP)
College
Trojan Debate Society Website
- Designing and developing an immersive, motion-heavy web experience for USC's Trojan Debate Society
- Implementing complex layout animations and high-performance transitions using GSAP and Framer Motion
Chambers
- Built real-time tournament operations platform for USC's Trojan Debate Society, automating chamber generation, position tracking, and attendance for 60+ weekly debaters
- Engineered pairing algorithm with experience-weighted team balancing, greedy position rotation across sessions, and fuzzy partner matching, replacing manual processes
- Implemented custom cross-device drag-and-drop and live Firestore sync for real-time chamber editing across all connected clients; live at tdschambers.vercel.app
Vyz Sensory-Adaptation Headset
USC AI Buildathon 1st Place Hardware Award
- Prototyped assistive wearable on NVIDIA Jetson Nano, utilizing OpenCV FFT algorithms and SciPy Digital Signal Processing to regulate incoming light/sound to reduce overstimulation for neurodivergent individuals
- Integrated GPT-3.5 with sensor telemetry to generate personalized sensory interventions, automating Arduino actuators via UART based on real-time brightness and audio thresholds
- Connected React Native companion app with NVIDIA Jetson Nano via custom Flask REST API, enabling users to set personal sensitivity thresholds and trigger calming interventions remotely
Advanced Robotics Club Battlebot
- Modeled combat robot chassis in SolidWorks, managing mechanical tolerances to fit motors/electronics in 3D-printed frame
- Engineered power distribution harness, soldering LiPo, safety switch, and 5V BEC to 3 brushless ESCs and a 4-channel receiver
High School
Carbon Emission Detection Cube Satellite
- Led a multidisciplinary team to design and develop a compact CubeSat for CO₂ emissions tracking over the Loudoun area
- Integrated Arduino-based sensor arrays with custom 3D-printed structural components for orbital deployment simulation
- Developed firmware for real-time telemetry processing and high-fidelity environmental data collection
Extracurriculars
College
Claude Builder Club
Member
Trojan Debate Society
Director of Curriculum
Trojan Debate Society
Director of Community Service
Advanced Robotic Combat (ARC)
Electrical Engineering Lead
High School
Riverside Debate Team
President / Co-Captain
Riverside Cyberpatriot Team
President of Education
Riverside Data Science Club
Co-President / Co-founder
Academies of Loudoun Makerspace Club
Member
Awards
USC AI for Good Buildathon Best Hardware Project Award
University of Southern California
- Awarded 1st place in hardware for the Vyz Sensory-Adaptation Headset during the 48-hour AI Buildathon
Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) Finalist
LCPS Regional Science & Engineering Fair
- One of 5 finalists from 400+ participants to present research at world's largest international pre-college STEM competition
- Presented autonomous drone project to leading scientists, engineers, and industry professionals from around the globe
1st Place in Robotics and Intelligent Machines Category
LCPS Regional Science & Engineering Fair
IEEE Technology Innovation Award
LCPS Regional Science & Engineering Fair
Geospatial Analysis Award — Honorable Mention
LCPS Regional Science & Engineering Fair
Presidential Scholarship
University of Southern California
- Half-tuition merit-based scholarship
Viterbi Scholar
University of Southern California
- $20,000 annual merit-based scholarship
AP Scholar with Distinction 2x
Riverside High School
National Merit Commended Scholar
College Board
Coursework
Engineering & Computer Science
- CSCI 104 – Data Structures and Algorithms
- CSCI 103 – Object Oriented Programming
- CSCI 102 – Fundamentals of Computation
- CSCI 170 – Discrete Methods in Computer Science
- EE 250 – Distributed Systems and the Internet of Things
- EE 109 – Introduction to Embedded Systems
- ENGR 102 – Engineering Freshman Academy
Mathematics & Physics
- MATH 235 – Applied Linear Algebra
- MATH 225 – Linear Algebra and Linear Differential Equations
- MATH 129 – Calculus II for Engineers and Scientists
- PHYS 151 – Fundamentals of Physics I: Mechanics and Thermodynamics
General Education & Humanities
- PSYC 100 – Introduction to Psychology
- GESM 110 – Seminar in the Arts
- SLL 110 – Russia in the Modern Era
- COMM 380 – Forensics Laboratory
- WRIT 150 – Writing and Critical Reasoning
Personal
Here's some stuff I'm currently into.
Debate
I've debated since middle school, competing in the PF WACFL circuit back home at Riverside. During college I picked up British Parliamentary debate, and I enjoy the challenge of its impromptu nature and just engaging in long debates about topics I haven't really thought of before. In today's polarized environment, I think its especially important to teach people how to critically engage with topics and hold genuine, good faith debate on issues.
Skateboarding
Custom Keyboards
Very niche hobby, but they do sound really nice and make typing more fun.
PC Hardware
I built my own setup back in 2020 (amidst the insane supply-chain shortages) and it was a very long 8 month rabbit hole where I got really into hardware and computing. I think that exploration shaped much of my passions for engineering and its process (I built three failed computers before I got a working station).
Cooking
During the pandemic, I went really deep into cooking videos on YouTube (shoutout Binging with Babish) and I love how versatile and creative you can get with it. I really like bagels right now, I've probably made around 70 within the last two months.
Here's some stuff I've made
Video Games
Multiplayer
Rocket League, Marvel Rivals, Fortnite, Apex Legends
Single Player
Batman: Arkham Knight, Control, Ghost of Tsushima, Ghostrunner, God of War, God of War: Ragnarok, Horizon Zero Dawn, Jedi Fallen Order, Jedi Survivor, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Uncharted 4
Media
TV & Animation
Atlanta, ATSV, Beef, Big Hero 6, Black Mirror, Breaking Bad, Coco, Cyberpunk, Dave, Euphoria, Gen V, Invincible, JJK0, Pantheon, Peacemaker, Ratatouille, Shameless, Silicon Valley, Snowfall, The Bear, The Book of Boba Fett, The Boys, The Incredibles, The Mandalorian, The Office, The Studio, Tulsa King, Turbo, WALL-E, X-Men '97
Live Action
Air, Annabelle, Arrival, Back to the Future, Blackberry, Bodies Bodies Bodies, Companion, Dune, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ford v Ferrari, Frankenstein, Heretic, It, Joker, La La Land, Life of Pi, Marty Supreme, Materialists, Mickey 17, Mid90s, Oppenheimer, Parasite, Pixels, Saltburn, Sinners, Smile, Superbad, The Great Gatsby, The Internship, The Man Who Knew Infinity, The Martian, The Substance, Venom, Whiplash
MCU
I think every single movie here is valid outside of a few from Phase 4.
Hindi Movies
3 Idiots, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Bang Bang, Barfi!, Bodyguard, Chennai Express, Chhichhore, Dangal, Dhadak 2, English Vinglish, Golmaal, Gully Boy, Happy New Year, Hera Pheri, Hey Babyy, Hindi Medium, Housefull, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Krrish, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Lagaan, Main Hoon Na, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Om Shanti Om, OMG, PK, Ra.One, Robot, Super 30, Wake Up Sid, Welcome, White Tiger, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara