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Backend Systems.AI/ML Engineer. Competitive Programming.

I'M NATHANAEL CHERAMLAK. A software engineer, active open-source contributor, and competitive programmer. I specialize in taking on critical, real-world challenges and engineering elegant solutions that truly matter.

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Skills

Core technical skills across AI engineering, backend development, and competitive programming foundations.

Programming Languages

  • Python
  • JavaScript
  • C++
  • SQL
  • HTML
  • CSS

AI / ML

  • Transformers
  • CNNs
  • Transfer Learning
  • NLP
  • Computer Vision

Libraries & Frameworks

  • Express.js
  • FastAPI
  • PostgreSQL
  • Next.js
  • Flask
  • Redux
  • MongoDB

Backend & APIs

  • Node.js
  • REST APIs
  • Authentication
  • Docker
  • Caching
  • WebSockets

Developer Tools

  • Git
  • GitHub
  • Docker
  • Postman
  • Trello
  • Vercel

Core Foundations

  • Database Design
  • Object-Oriented Programming
  • Operating Systems
  • Computer Architecture
  • Web Development
  • Problem Solving

Experience

Roles and milestones from my engineering journey building production software.

2025 - Now

AI Software Engineer

iCog Labs

November 2025 - Present | Addis Ababa

Building AI systems in production for cognitive architectures and vision-based emotion understanding.

  • Developed and optimized components of OpenPsi, improving motivation and emotion models for autonomous decision-making in OpenCog Hyperon AGI.
  • Deployed a production emotion-detection service with Vision Transformer and transfer learning, reaching a 92.5% F1 score with sub-200ms inference latency.

2025

AI Software Engineer Intern

iCog Labs

June 2025 - October 2025 | Addis Ababa

Focused on improving model quality and operational performance for NLP and computer vision services.

  • Optimized NLP and computer vision models using advanced Transformer and CNN architectures, improving classification accuracy by 10%.
  • Architected and deployed the model API with Docker and LRU caching for reliable, low-latency service portability.

2025

Backend Engineer Intern

Kuraz Tech

April 2025 - August 2025 | Remote

Improved backend reliability and speed through database, authentication, and caching optimizations.

  • Designed and optimized database schemas, improving query performance by 30%.
  • Implemented authentication and caching mechanisms, reducing server response time by 20%.

Education

Academic training, backend specialization, and high-volume problem-solving practice.

BSc. Computer Science

Addis Ababa University

Ranked among the top universities in Africa.

  • Data Structures and Algorithms
  • Object-Oriented Programming
  • Operating Systems
  • Intro to Software Engineering
  • Computer Architecture
  • Database Design
  • Web Development

Competitive Programming

Africa to Silicon Valley (A2SV)

A2SV has helped 80+ students secure internships and roles at companies like Google, Palantir, and Bloomberg.

  • Solved 1,000+ DSA problems across LeetCode and Codeforces.
  • Achieved a Top 20 National Ranking through rigorous practice.

Software Engineering (Backend Specialization)

ALX

  • Python
  • Web Development
  • APIs and Backend Development
  • Web Servers and Security

Projects

Selected projects focused on secure architecture, real-time systems, and production implementation quality.

True Vote

Decentralized Voting Platform

Built with Solidity, Hardhat, Ethers.js, and Next.js to enable transparent, tamper-resistant elections with one-wallet-one-vote enforcement.

  • Implemented full election lifecycle management: creation, scheduling, real-time insights, extension, closure, and deletion.
  • Added robust smart-contract access control with seamless MetaMask integration.
  • Solidity
  • Hardhat
  • Ethers.js
  • Next.js

Private build. Demo and source available on request.

Enawga

Real-Time Chat Application

Engineered low-latency, bidirectional messaging with WebSockets in Node.js for real-time communication.

  • Implemented secure user authentication with Google OAuth.
  • Managed scalable data persistence with MongoDB.
  • Node.js
  • WebSockets
  • Google OAuth
  • MongoDB
  • Express.js

Private build. Demo and source available on request.

Awards & Achievements

Recognitions that reflect competitive excellence, continuous learning, and execution.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPGold Medalist #1

National Inter-University Championship

Gold Medalist

Addis Ababa University & Chess Federation

Recognized for top performance in a national university competition setting.

LEARNING MILESTONEAI Certifications #2

Coursera with Partnering Universities

10+ Certifications on AI & Data Science

Continuous learning and practical specialization.

Completed multiple certification tracks to strengthen AI and data science depth.

GDSC HACKATHONHackathon Finalist #3

Google Developer Student Clubs (GDSC)

Hackathon Finalist

Built and presented practical software solutions under pressure.

Reached finalist stage through execution speed, product focus, and teamwork.

Contact Me