{"$schema":"https://schema.org/Person","generatedAt":"2026-09-30T15:53:16.410Z","documentation":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/llms.txt","profile":{"name":"Shaad Qureshi","fullName":"Shaad Abid Qureshi","headline":"Gameplay/Engine Programmer","location":"Boston, MA","summary":"I'm a game developer with a strong computer science background, specializing in implementing core gameplay mechanics with Unity and Unreal Engine. My passion is creating engaging worlds that captivate players and inspire new creators.","about":"I am a Computer Science student with a proficiency in AI, but I'm a passionate game developer at heart. My love for unique worlds and storytelling began with a Nintendo Wii in my childhood. I specialize in implementing core gameplay mechanics, using my C# skills in Unity and Blueprint expertise in Unreal Engine to bring creative visions to life. Through freelance projects, I've enjoyed collaborating with designers, offering technical solutions to realize their complex concepts. My ultimate ambition is to contribute to the development of beloved games at major studios and one day create my own, inspiring the next generation of gamers.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com","contact":{"email":"shaadqrsh.work@gmail.com","academicEmail":"qureshi.sha@northeastern.edu"},"profiles":[{"network":"LinkedIn","url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaadrqrsh/"},{"network":"Twitter","url":"https://x.com/shaadqrsh"},{"network":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/shaadqrsh"}],"resume":{"pdf":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/resume.pdf","page":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/resume"}},"stats":[{"label":"Years","value":"4+"},{"label":"Projects","value":"100+"},{"label":"Clients","value":"50+"},{"label":"Jams","value":"4"}],"skills":{"primary":[{"name":"Unity","detail":"I can build core gameplay mechanics and systems using C#. My focus is on writing clean, reusable code for everything from player controls to UI elements."},{"name":"Unreal Engine","detail":"I can construct interactive environments and gameplay events. I build most systems and logic directly within Blueprints, but I am adept with C++ for performance-critical functions."},{"name":"Blender","detail":"I can create optimized 3D assets ready to be implemented in my games. I manage the entire creation pipeline, from hard-surface modeling and UV mapping to PBR texturing."}],"technical":["Godot","React","Lua","Claude Code","Photoshop","Premiere Pro","Pixel Art","C#","C++","Ruby","Python","Java","Git","Android","Microsoft Office"],"professional":["Project Management","UI Design","Level Design","Prompt Engineering","Problem Solving","Testing & Debugging","Collaboration & Teamwork","Time Management"]},"experience":[{"role":"Media Services Technician","organization":"Northeastern University, Boston, MA","start":"2026-01","current":true,"highlights":["Operate AV systems for 50+ events (audiences up to 1,000+), managing 32-channel audio boards, wireless mics, and projection.","Diagnose and resolve critical AV failures in sub-2-minute windows, coordinating live with ITS and stage managers.","Program and execute dynamic lighting cues on ETC lighting boards for university productions and live ceremonies."]},{"role":"Game Programmer","organization":"Freelance, Remote","start":"2023-06","end":"2025-11","current":false,"highlights":["Developed game mechanics in Unity (C#) and Unreal Engine (C++/Blueprints) for 50+ clients across 100+ micro-projects.","Delivered end-to-end gameplay systems including physics, AI, and UI, sourced through private Discord communities.","Managed full project lifecycles independently, handling client scoping, iterative development, and final delivery."]},{"role":"Technical Department Member","organization":"NM Arthashastra, Mumbai, India","start":"2022-09","end":"2023-03","current":false,"highlights":["Built and maintained the festival website using WordPress for NM College's annual inter-collegiate academic festival featuring 27+ events across multiple domains.","Collaborated with a 50+ member organizing team to deliver a multi-day festival drawing participation from colleges across Mumbai and nationally.","Supported technical operations including event logistics and digital infrastructure for competitions, speaker sessions, and workshops."]}],"education":[{"credential":"Masters of Science - Computer Science","institution":"Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University","location":"Boston, Massachusetts, USA","grade":"CGPA: 3.67","start":"2026-01","end":"2028-05","current":true},{"credential":"Bachelor of Science - Information Technology","institution":"SVKM's Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics","location":"Vile Parle, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India","grade":"CGPA: 3.6","start":"2022-08","end":"2025-06","current":false},{"credential":"Class 12th - HSC Board","institution":"PACE Junior Science College","location":"Dadar, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India","grade":"Score: 84%","start":"2019-06","end":"2021-04","current":false},{"credential":"Class 10th - ICSE Board","institution":"Bombay Scottish School","location":"Mahim, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India","grade":"Score: 95.66%","start":"2006-06","end":"2019-04","current":false}],"projects":[{"title":"Counting Sheep","slug":"countingsheep","category":"Game Projects","date":"2026-08","type":"game","summary":"A 3D arcade platformer built for the GMTK Game Jam 2026. Players guide a floaty sheep across voxel cloud-numerals that crumble and reform underneath them as the sleeper counts down to sleep.","description":"Counting Sheep is a 3D platformer built around a countdown. You play a sheep drifting across floating islands of glowing cloud-voxels that are arranged in the shape of the number currently being counted. Every tick of the timer, part of the ground goes: the unstable clouds shudder, then drop away into the dark, while new paths rise out of the fog somewhere else. Ride the count all the way down and the sleeper falls asleep. Miss a jump and you wake them up.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/countingsheep","links":[{"label":"Itch.io","url":"https://bro-skito.itch.io/counting-sheep"}],"technologies":["Unity","C#","Universal Render Pipeline (URP)","Shader Graph","VFX Graph","Blender"],"features":[{"heading":"Dynamic Shifting Cloud Floors","content":"The platforms are giant numerals, and they rearrange as the count goes down. Clouds that are about to disappear shake first, so you get a moment of warning to read where the level is going and jump before the tile you are standing on stops existing."},{"heading":"Floaty, Buoyant Platforming","content":"The sheep hovers and drifts, and the jumps are slow and wide. The controller is forgiving on purpose: it cushions your momentum and gives you a little slack at ledges, so committing to a jump usually works out."},{"heading":"Reactive Soundscape & Dynamic Bleats","content":"Ambient drones underneath, chimes when something resolves, and a sheep that bleats. The bleats are randomized and tied to what just happened, so jumps, landings, star pickups, and near misses all sound different."},{"heading":"Varied Dream Modes & Pacing","content":"Dream runs count down through a set sequence: Fibonacci, primes, or halving. Endless Mode is the high score chase, with combo multipliers. Zen Mode has no fail state at all and catches you when you fall."},{"heading":"Diegetic Sleep Meter & Radar Planning","content":"The HUD is styled as a dream journal. Instead of a progress bar there is an eyelid that closes further the cleaner you play. A top-down minimap shows the platforms that are about to appear, which is how you plan a route more than one jump ahead."}],"contributions":["Architected the full Unity game architecture in C# using decoupled ScriptableObject workflows, event channels, and modular state machines for the GMTK Game Jam 2026.","Developed custom Shader Graph materials for fluffy cloud voxels with dynamic rim lighting, emissive glow, and noise-based dissolution effects.","Programmed the custom kinematic character controller from scratch, tuning spring buoyancy, coyote time, and inflated bounding boxes for fluid aerial navigation.","Built high-performance GPU instancing and object pooling systems to guarantee smooth 60+ FPS performance during rapid, large-scale voxel grid reflows.","Designed dynamic audio behavior in Unity AudioMixer with real-time pitch modulation and formant filtering for procedural sheep vocalizations.","Implemented the dream-journal UI system, animated eyelid sleep gauge, and 2D canvas radar minimap for tactical route planning."],"notes":["Developed for the GMTK Game Jam 2026, bringing the countdown theme to life through the classic bedtime tradition of counting sheep.","Built around the guiding design philosophy of \"logic blocky, render fluffy\"—pairing precise, predictable grid-based movement with soft, luminous cloud visuals.","Visual aesthetic draws heavy inspiration from classic storybooks and ink dream diaries, combining handwritten typography with a soothing indigo and starlight color palette.","Includes a dedicated Zen Mode created specifically for unwinding, completely stripping away failure conditions, timers, and scoring in favor of peaceful drift recovery and slower rhythms.","Engineered to deliver a polished, responsive standalone gaming experience with full gamepad and keyboard support."],"videos":[],"screenshotCount":4},{"title":"Harvest Rush","slug":"harvestrush","category":"Game Projects","date":"2026-08","type":"game","summary":"A fast-paced couch co-op and solo farming game where players till soil, sow seeds, water crops, and rush harvested produce to a scheduled delivery truck while defending the farm from hungry pests and spreading fires.","description":"Harvest Rush is a one or two player farming game about running out of time, built in the multitasking tradition of Overcooked. A delivery truck docks at the edge of a tile-based farm with an order to fill, and you have until it leaves to fill it. That means tilling soil, sowing seeds, watering crops through their growth stages, and carrying finished carrots, wheat, and tomatoes to the loading dock. Pests burrow up from the corners to steal produce, and fires spread across the field and block the paths you were counting on. With two players the whole thing becomes a shouting match about who is doing what.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/harvestrush","links":[{"label":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/shaadqrsh/harvest-rush"}],"technologies":["C++","SDL3","CMake","Python","Aseprite","Photoshop"],"features":[{"heading":"Frantic Couch Co-op & Solo Play","content":"Two people share a keyboard, or one person runs the farm alone. Three game lengths (Short, Medium, Long) change the wave budgets and how hard the hazards push, so a solo run is tuned differently rather than being the same game with fewer hands."},{"heading":"Context-Sensitive Tool Pipeline","content":"There is a single action button. What it does depends on the tile you are facing and what you are holding: tilling with a rake, planting from a reusable seed bag, watering a plot, pulling a crop up by hand, or setting produce down on a work table. You never hunt for the right key."},{"heading":"Dynamic Farm Hazards: Pests & Spreading Fire","content":"Pests come up from burrows in the corners and take crops off plots and tables. Fires scorch neighboring tiles and cut off paths. A rake sweeps the pests away and a watering can puts out fire, so the tool you need for the emergency is usually the one you just put down."},{"heading":"Wave-Based Delivery Truck & Score Chasing","content":"Waves run back to back. The truck arrives at the loading bay wanting specific produce, and filling the order pays out per crop plus a completion bonus that grows as you keep up. The day ends on a results board that keeps top runs per farm and mode."},{"heading":"Vibrant Countryside Atmosphere & Feedback","content":"A 16:9 pixel-art farm with animated growth stages for every crop. Color-tint pulses, fill meters, and audio cues tell you what changed, which matters when both players are watching opposite corners of the screen."}],"contributions":["Architected and implemented a high-performance 2D game engine in modern C++ (C++20) and SDL3 using a cache-friendly Entity Component System (ECS) pattern.","Engineered grid-locked tile glide movement, directional facing systems, and unified context-sensitive interaction resolution for independent dual-player keyboard control.","Implemented A* pathfinding for pest AI navigation, integrating dynamic obstacle avoidance via blackboard coordinate sets to navigate around live fires and fellow critters in real time.","Developed a recursive backtracking procedural order generator with reachability pruning, ensuring wave orders match balanced labor budgets without deadlocks or impossible requests.","Designed and built a modular interaction timer system supporting player-freezing channels, partner abort safety, and flood-fill fire extinguishing logic.","Created custom TTF font rendering with dynamic outline generation, color-flash shader effects, and atomic file I/O pipelines for persistent high-score serialization.","Built automated Python sprite-sheet packing scripts and configured cross-platform CMake build systems and automated test harnesses."],"notes":["This was my capstone final project for CS 5850 (Building Game Engines) at Northeastern University, built on top of an engine I wrote from scratch over the semester.","The design borrows the co-op panic of Overcooked and the farming loop of Stardew Valley.","The decorative background art on the title screen, help menu, and end-of-day scores screens is generative AI. I ran out of time to illustrate three full-screen images before the deadline. Everything in the game itself, the sprites, tiles, and HUD, is a mix of my own assets and public assets from itch.io.","Playtesting cut two mechanics I had been attached to: running to a central water trough, and stockpiling produce in storage bins. Both slowed the game down. Passing tools hand to hand and staging crops on tables replaced them.","It used to have a hard quota you either met or failed. That made the fires and pests feel punishing instead of funny, so I moved it to a score attack where every crop you load still counts for something.","I wrote a headless test harness that ran 50,000 simulated wave generations to check that the procedural delivery algorithm was actually fair, rather than trusting that it looked fine in play.","Solo and two-player runs have separate tuning profiles across the three lengths (Short, Medium, Long)."],"videos":[],"screenshotCount":8},{"title":"Pokémon Bushido","slug":"bushido","category":"Game Projects","date":"2021-02","type":"game","summary":"Pokémon Bushido is a fan-made game set in a feudal Japan-inspired region, where players train Pokémon to become a Kenshi, battling rival clans and dark forces in a unique samurai-themed adventure.","description":"Journey into the Aisho Region, a land steeped in ancient traditions and home to the captivating world of Pokémon Bushido. As the child of the Royal Samurai, your path unfolds through a rich narrative, where you'll train alongside your Pokémon in the martial arts, discover the role of a 'Kenshi', and confront the enigmatic Akui Clan with their dangerous Shadow Pokémon. This fangame offers a fresh take on the Pokémon formula, blending classic gameplay with a distinct feudal Japanese aesthetic, featuring new mechanics, visually stunning environments, riveting story and challenging gameplay that will test your honor and skill.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/bushido","links":[{"label":"Direct Download","url":"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IZ3AlFv5rm8xrUn9YbwLe4i-Bu9YwHpO/view"},{"label":"Eevee Expo","url":"https://eeveeexpo.com/bushido/"},{"label":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/TheLuxDiablo/Pokemon-Bushido"}],"technologies":["Ruby","C++","Photoshop","Aseprite"],"features":[{"heading":"Immersive Feudal Japan-Inspired World","content":"Explore the Aisho region, a brand new land meticulously designed with a rich samurai-themed aesthetic, offering a unique departure from traditional Pokémon settings."},{"heading":"Diverse Roster of Pokémon","content":"Build your team with a wide selection of Pokémon, featuring species from up to the 8th Generation, all rendered in classic Gen 4-styled graphics for a nostalgic yet expanded experience."},{"heading":"Original Storyline","content":"Embark on a 10-15 hour narrative-driven adventure as the child of the Royal Samurai, training to become a Kenshi and uncovering the secrets and conflicts within the Aisho region, including the nefarious Akui Clan."},{"heading":"Return of Shadow Pokémon","content":"Encounter and battle formidable Shadow Pokémon, a concept inspired by Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. These corrupted Pokémon present unique challenges and can be snagged from opposing trainers for purification."},{"heading":"Katana Styles","content":"Experience a fresh take on HMs with the introduction of Katanas. These powerful blades not only grant passage through obstacles but can also be wielded in battle to strategically alter weather conditions or inflict status effects."}],"contributions":["Developed the core engine in which the game was made.","Created new mechanics (Katana techniques, mid-battle dialogue, Following Pokémon, battle animations, etc) to differenciate it from mainline Pokémom games.","Aggregated publically available assets for developing the game within 30 days.","Evented multiple in-game cutscenes, while also writing custom scripts for functionality.","Designed various UI/UX elements to enhance the immersion of the battle system, with detailed battle backgrounds and themes to fit the game's aesthetic.","Assisted in the design of the game's narrative and core gameplay loop."],"notes":["This game was developed for the Relic Castle (Eevee Expo) Winter Game Jam #2. It was developed in 30 days, and the team ended up winning the competition.","The idea of setting a game in a feudal Japan setting was devised months before the official Pokémon games took a similar direction with Pokémon Legends: Arceus.","Future expansions were planned, to expand the Aisho region and provide more story for important characters in the game. The team, however, disbanded and further expansions were scrapped.","The game draws heavy inspiration from mainline entries like Pokémon Conquest and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, and borrows assets from them, along with other mainline Pokémon games.","The development of this project was headed by Thundaga, a YouTuber, and the development of this game has been recorded as VODs on their YouTube and Twitch.","This is one of the highest rated and most viewed games on Eevee Expo (formerly Relic Castle), the forum on which this game was initially launched.","This game has been regarded as one of the best Pokémon Fangames of 2021."],"videos":["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH5pCKUim3k","https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNM4zsBrNFQ","https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5ClFPCufkc","https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWEIOSc5Euw"],"screenshotCount":9},{"title":"Pokémon Splice","slug":"splice","category":"Game Projects","date":"2020-08","type":"game","summary":"Pokémon Splice is a fan-made game where you're a research assistant helping Professor Cypress discover new Pokémon forms, featuring a unique, type-changing starter and a branching story.","description":"Assume the role of a research assistant aiding Professor Cypress in the study of newly discovered Pokémon forms in this new fangame. Embark on a journey through the Stacona region with a new starter Pokémon, Arenay, which possesses the ability to change its type. Align with either Team Biogress, emphasizing natural development, or Team Quantech, focused on technological enhancement. Experience a branching storyline, where you are presented with significant choices which will completely alter your experience. The fate of Pokémon research hangs in the balance - whose side will you choose?","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/splice","links":[{"label":"Direct Download","url":"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1igsvdRzCU9S3AgiGcCIR9jpDKJBDoWgv/view"},{"label":"Eevee Expo","url":"https://eeveeexpo.com/splice/"}],"technologies":["Ruby","C++","Photoshop","Aseprite"],"features":[{"heading":"New Region","content":"Pokémon Splice is set in the entirely new Stacona Region, a brand new world with its own unique environments and never before seen Pokémon species."},{"heading":"New Pokémon Species","content":"The game features several new species of Pokémon, such as Arenay, the starter with a unique form changing gimmick, as well as evolutions and pre-evolutions for existing Pokémon like Pinsir, Skarmory and Combee and more!"},{"heading":"Branching Storylines","content":"Players make a pivotal choice to join one of two opposing research organizations: Team Biogress or Team Quantech. This decision significantly influences the story's direction and the player's objectives throughout the game."},{"heading":"New Regional Forms","content":"The region houses brand new regional forms. Some of them are naturally occuring, like Dunsparce, and some are the result of experimentation by the 2 research factions, such as the new forms of the Solosis, Lotad, Raichu and Electivire."},{"heading":"Distinct Gen-3 Artsyle","content":"The game pays hommage to the GameBoy Advance generation of Pokémon games with its environment and UI design, but still has all the QOL improvements of the modern games."}],"contributions":["Developed the core engine in which the game was made.","Created new mechanics (Form changing, mid-battle dialogue, Following Pokémon, battle animations, etc) to differenciate it from mainline Pokémom games.","Aggregated publically available assets for developing the game within 30 days.","Evented multiple in-game cutscenes, while also writing custom scripts for functionality.","Designed various UI/UX elements to enhance the immersion of the battle system, with detailed battle backgrounds and themes to fit the Generation 3 aesthetic.","Assisted in the design of the game's narrative and core gameplay loop."],"notes":["This game was developed for the Relic Castle (Eevee Expo) Game Jam 6. It was developed in 30 days, and the team ended up winning the competition.","Future chapters were planned, and assets were developed for them (new legendaries and forms, they are still in the game files). The team, however, disbanded and further expansions were scrapped.","The development of this project was headed by Thundaga, a YouTuber, and the development of this game has been recorded as VODs on their YouTube and Twitch.","This game was discontinued in 2023 and the entire team moved on to other projects."],"videos":["https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9DS0Nyegag","https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X34OZt5Tvdk","https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XgNEFjSQmc"],"screenshotCount":9},{"title":"CareerPath AI","slug":"careerpath","category":"Other Projects","date":"2025-11","type":"software","summary":"An AI-assisted development experiment built in 3 days with Gemini 3 Pro. This AI counselor generates hyper-personalized career roadmaps and realistic 'day-in-the-life' visualizations to help users find their ideal career.","description":"CareerPath AI serves as a proof-of-concept for the potential of 'vibe coding' with next-gen models. Built entirely over a single three-day weekend using Gemini 3 Pro, this platform acts as an intelligent career counselor that moves beyond generic advice. It ingests user demographics and quiz results to generate hyper-personalized career roadmaps. The system helps users visualize their future by generating realistic 'day-in-the-life' image slideshows using AI, bridging the gap between abstract job titles and daily reality. This project demonstrates how modern AI tools can accelerate the development of complex, full-stack applications with robust architectures.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/careerpath","links":[{"label":"Live Project","url":"https://pathfinder-ai-nine.vercel.app/"},{"label":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/shaadqrsh/pathfinder-ai"}],"technologies":["React","TypeScript","TailwindCSS","Python","Supabase","PostgreSQL","Google Gemini","Docker"],"features":[{"heading":"Deep Profile Analysis","content":"The core engine utilizes Google Gemini 2.5 Flash to reason through user data, creating matches based on aptitude and personality rather than simple keyword associations."},{"heading":"Actionable Roadmaps","content":"Users receive step-by-step educational and professional plans detailing exactly how to transition from their current state to their target career, including location-specific advice."},{"heading":"Generative Day-in-the-Life","content":"A unique visualization feature (powered by Google's Nano Banana) that generates realistic, non-glamorized photo slideshows of what a specific job looks like daily, helping users emotionally connect with potential career paths."},{"heading":"Decoupled Architecture","content":"The application uses a secure \"headless\" structure with a React frontend and a Python FastAPI backend acting as a proxy to manage API keys and business logic securely."},{"heading":"Smart Rate Limiting","content":"To maintain sustainability, a custom database-level quota system manages daily limits for expensive operations like image generation and detailed career analysis."}],"contributions":["Prompt-engineered the entire full-stack codebase using Gemini 3 Pro, acting as the architect while the AI handled the implementation details.","Deployed the backend to Hugging Face Spaces using Docker and the frontend to Vercel, ensuring a seamless global delivery pipeline.","Designed the comprehensive database schema and Row Level Security policies to ensure strict user data privacy within Supabase.","Orchestrated the asynchronous image generation pipeline, coordinating multiple parallel API calls to reduce wait times for the end user.","Implemented a robust state management system using Zustand to handle the complex user journey from onboarding to result visualization."],"notes":["This project was an experiment in \"vibe coding\" to test the reasoning capabilities of Gemini 3 Pro. The entire application was built in just 3 days with the AI generating nearly all the code.","The \"intelligence\" of the app relies on rigid JSON-enforced prompt engineering, which forces the LLM to output structured data that the frontend can reliably render.","Unlike simple API wrappers, this project implements a full backend proxy to secure the Gemini API keys, preventing them from being exposed in the client-side code.","I implemented a \"lazy-loading\" strategy for the career details to save on token costs; detailed roadmaps are only generated when a user explicitly clicks to explore a specific career.","The UI features a \"Nano Banana\" badge in the loading screens, a playful nod to the internal codename and the rapid, fluid nature of the development session."],"videos":[],"screenshotCount":9},{"title":"SQLift","slug":"sqllift","category":"Other Projects","date":"2026-04","type":"software","summary":"SQLift is a full-stack workout tracking web application with a rich relational database at its core. Users can plan custom workouts, track live sessions set-by-set, monitor body measurements and analytics over time, and compete on global and friend leaderboards.","description":"SQLift is a full-stack workout tracking web application built as a CS-5200 Database Management course project. It lets users plan custom workouts from a library of 1000+ exercises, track live sessions set-by-set with weights and reps, and review progress through analytics graphs and personal records. A social layer allows users to befriend each other and compete on global and friend leaderboards ranked by total workout volume, while an achievements system rewards fitness milestones.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/sqllift","links":[{"label":"Live Project","url":"https://cs-5200-project.vercel.app"},{"label":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/btoneil2021/cs-5200-project"}],"technologies":["React","Python","Flask","PostgreSQL","Supabase"],"features":[{"heading":"Live Session Tracking","content":"During an active workout, users log every set in real time, with details like weight, reps, RPE, rest time, and set type (warm-up, working, drop) and with auto-fill from the previous set to speed up logging."},{"heading":"Exercise Library","content":"A pre-populated library of 1000+ exercises sourced from the Wger API, each tagged with targeted muscle groups and required equipment, supports filtering and browsing by category."},{"heading":"Progress Analytics","content":"The stats page visualizes exercise progression over configurable time ranges, tracks body measurements, displays muscle group volume breakdowns, and surfaces hero stats like total volume, heaviest set, and session streaks."},{"heading":"Social & Leaderboards","content":"Users can send and manage friend requests, set friendship visibility levels, and compete on both a global and friends-only leaderboard ranked by cumulative workout volume."},{"heading":"Achievements & Goals","content":"An achievements system awards badges for fitness milestones, and a goals feature lets users set personal objectives with target completion dates and track them over time."}],"contributions":["Designed the relational database schema, including the multi-level session of record set hierarchy, friendship graph, achievements, and goals tables.","Built and maintained backend Flask API modules for workout CRUD, live session tracking, analytics, leaderboard calculations, and achievements.","Wrote the Python web scraper to populate the exercise library with 1000+ entries, muscle group mappings, and equipment data from the Wger API.","Implemented session-based authentication with bcrypt password hashing and contributed to profile and friend management endpoints.","Contributed to the React frontend, including the live session page, stats visualizations, and leaderboard views.","Configured the GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline for automated deployment to Vercel with smoke tests against the live backend."],"notes":["This project was built as the final project for CS-5200 Database Management Systems at Northeastern University, with a focus on relational database design and complex SQL querying.","The database schema spans 15+ tables with multi-level relational hierarchies, covering users, workouts, sessions, set logs, exercises, muscle groups, equipment, measurements, friendships, goals, and achievements.","Supabase transaction pooler (port 6543) is used for efficient connection management, allowing the stateless Vercel serverless backend to interact with PostgreSQL without exhausting connections.","The exercise library was populated using a custom Python scraper that fetched and normalized data from the Wger open-source fitness API across multiple pages.","Additional features were planned, such as multiple user roles (for trainers) as well as more achievements and a way to upload profile pictures, but were scrapped due to time constraints.","The project was built collaboratively by a three-person team (Shaad Qureshi, Ben O'Neil, Sudaiv Shetty) with Git-based workflows and feature branches."],"videos":[],"screenshotCount":9},{"title":"NanoRewind 4K","slug":"nanorewind","category":"Other Projects","date":"2025-12","type":"software","summary":"A web app that restores old, scratched, and blurry photos to 4K using Google Gemini. Results can be rendered in six photographic developer styles, and a drag slider compares the restoration against the original.","description":"NanoRewind restores old, scratched, and blurry photographs to 4K using a Google Gemini image model. Beyond a straight repair, it can render a result in six photographic developer styles, from Silver Gelatin black and white to Kodachrome 64, with optional Chiaroscuro and Matte Emulsion treatments on top. A drag-to-reveal slider sits over the output so you can check the restoration against the original before downloading it. Every free account gets three restorations a day, counted server-side.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/nanorewind","links":[{"label":"Live Project","url":"https://nanorewind-4k.vercel.app/"},{"label":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/shaadqrsh/nanorewind-4k"}],"technologies":["React","TypeScript","Vite","Vercel","Supabase","PostgreSQL","Google Gemini","Google AI Studio","Claude Code"],"features":[{"heading":"Full 4K Photo Restoration","content":"Upload a damaged photo and it comes back repaired at full 4K. Scratches, blur, and age damage are handled in one pass."},{"heading":"Six Developer Processes","content":"The same restoration can be rendered as Standard, Silver Gelatin black and white, Albumen sepia, Cyanotype, Lumiere Autochrome, or Kodachrome 64. Chiaroscuro deepens the shadows and Matte Emulsion softens the highlights, and both can be layered on any process."},{"heading":"Drag-to-Reveal Before & After","content":"A slider sits over the result so you can drag across the image and see exactly what changed. The landing page runs the same comparison on a demo pair automatically."},{"heading":"Server-Side Credit Ledger","content":"Each account gets three restorations a day. The count lives in Postgres and is deducted through a Supabase RPC, so the browser cannot alter its own balance."},{"heading":"Zero-Secret Frontend","content":"The browser bundle holds no API keys. Gemini and database access run in Vercel serverless functions under /api, same-origin with the frontend, and the client only ever talks to those."}],"contributions":["Built the React 19 and Vite frontend, including the drag-to-reveal comparison slider and the developer-process picker.","Wrote the Vercel serverless API under /api in TypeScript, keeping the Gemini calls and all database access off the client.","Designed the Postgres schema in Supabase with row-level security and an RPC that deducts a credit atomically, so a user cannot spend the same credit twice.","Moved authentication from the browser to the backend, removing the Supabase SDK and both of its keys from the frontend bundle.","Prototyped and engineered prompts in Google AI Studio to fine-tune Gemini image restoration outputs across six photographic developer processes and atmospheric modifiers.","Leveraged Claude Code and AI-assisted tooling to scaffold architecture, generate Postgres RPC logic, and streamline full-stack iteration.","Configured a GitHub Actions workflow that pings Supabase hourly to stop the free-tier database from pausing."],"notes":["Built solo using Claude Code and AI-assisted workflows alongside Google AI Studio across 48 commits from December 2025 to July 2026, accelerating iteration on both code and generative prompts.","It started with Supabase running in the browser. I pulled the SDK and both keys out of the frontend and rewrote auth to run server-side, so the client now holds no secrets at all.","The developer processes came out of wanting more than a clean repair. A restored photo that looks like a Cyanotype or a Kodachrome slide is more interesting than one that just looks new.","A saved archive was designed and never built: a Supabase Storage bucket scoped per user, list and delete endpoints, and a grid view for reloading past restorations. The schema and endpoints are specified in the TO-DO but the work stopped before them.","The free tier is capped at three restorations a day because Gemini image calls cost money and the app has no revenue."],"videos":[],"screenshotCount":8},{"title":"Artist Portfolio","slug":"emaadportfolio","category":"Other Projects","date":"2026-06","type":"software","summary":"A portfolio website for Emaad, an artist in my family, built with React and Vite and hosted free on GitHub Pages. Emaad adds and edits pieces through a Decap CMS dashboard without writing any code.","description":"A dark, cinematic portfolio site for Emaad's art, with a look borrowed from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It has three pages: a home page with a hero and a strip of selected pieces, a Works page with a filterable masonry grid, and an About page. Emaad runs it without me. They log into a Decap CMS dashboard with GitHub, drop in an image, fill out a form, and hit Publish, and the site rebuilds on its own. The whole setup costs nothing to run.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/emaadportfolio","links":[{"label":"Live Site","url":"https://emmeqqu-08.github.io/emaad-portfolio/"},{"label":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/emmeqqu-08/emaad-portfolio"}],"technologies":["React","Vite","JavaScript","Decap CMS","Motion","GitHub Actions","GitHub Pages","Vercel"],"features":[{"heading":"No-Code Artist Dashboard","content":"Emaad visits /admin, logs in with GitHub, and gets a form for each artwork: image, title, description, year, medium, dimensions, categories, and whether it is for sale. Publishing commits the file to the repo and the site redeploys."},{"heading":"Masonry Gallery & Fullscreen Lightbox","content":"The Works page lays pieces out in a Pinterest-style masonry grid. Visitors can filter by category and change the sort order. Clicking a piece opens a fullscreen lightbox with its full details, and the arrow keys and Escape work inside it."},{"heading":"Every Word Editable from the CMS","content":"The site name, tagline, hero statement, About text, portraits, category list, and social links all live in one settings file that the dashboard edits. Social links take any number of entries, each with an icon picked from a dropdown of 12 options."},{"heading":"Curated Auto-Scrolling Selected Strip","content":"Emaad picks which works appear on the home page with a searchable picker. If more are picked than fit on one row, the strip turns into a looping carousel that pauses on hover or touch and stays still for visitors who prefer reduced motion."},{"heading":"Link Previews That Actually Work","content":"Because it is a single-page app, crawlers from Discord, Slack, iMessage and X would only see an empty HTML shell. A post-build script writes the editable title and description into the static index.html so shared links show the right preview."}],"contributions":["Built a three-page React 19 and Vite site with React Router and Motion animations","Integrated Decap CMS with a GitHub backend so a non-technical artist can publish artwork through a web form","Wrote a dependency-free YAML frontmatter parser that loads CMS markdown files at build time through import.meta.glob","Self-hosted a GitHub OAuth proxy for Decap as serverless functions on an existing Vercel project, after public proxies kept shutting down","Configured a GitHub Actions workflow that builds and deploys to GitHub Pages on every push, deriving the Vite base path from the repo name","Wrote a post-build Node script that injects CMS-editable title and Open Graph tags into the static HTML for social link previews","Built a reusable auto-scrolling carousel hook that only activates on overflow and respects prefers-reduced-motion"],"notes":["I built this for free for Emaad, who is family, so their art would have one place to live.","The code took about five days, June 11 to 15, 2026. After that I transferred the repo to their GitHub account so the site belongs to them.","Since launch Emaad has made over 110 commits through the dashboard without touching code, and the site had 68 artworks on it as of September 2026.","Hosting is free end to end. GitHub Pages serves the site, GitHub Actions builds it, and the OAuth login runs on a Vercel project I already had for NanoRewind."],"videos":[],"screenshotCount":6},{"title":"HOMI - Helpful Online Mentor Interface","slug":"homi","category":"Other Projects","date":"2025-02","type":"software","summary":"An AI-powered learning assistant for IT students, using LLMs to offer personalized study material, real-time query resolution, automated test generation, and attendance and assignment tracking.","description":"This project is a full-stack application that leverages a fine-tuned Large Language Model (LLM) to provide AI-powered assistance for objective-based learning, specifically for BSc. IT students. The application aims to enhance the learning experience by offering personalized study materials, dynamically generating MCQs based on proficiency levels, resolving user doubts in real-time through a chatbot, and providing tools for assignment tracking, and attendance logging. This system seeks to address the limitations of traditional teaching methods by offering adaptive and interactive educational tools, making learning more accessible, engaging, and effective for IT students.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/homi","links":[{"label":"Live Project","url":"https://homi-bot.vercel.app"},{"label":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/shaadqrsh/HOMI-distro"}],"technologies":["NextJS","TailwindCSS","Typescript","ReactQuery","Django","PostgreSQL","DeepSeek R1","Gemini","Docker"],"features":[{"heading":"LLM Integration","content":"This system utilizes a customized LLM (based on DeepSeek) for core AI functionalities such as query processing and question generation."},{"heading":"Chatbot Query Resolution","content":"The user can chat with the model to ask questions, generate personalized study material and store and organize them with a robust folder structure system."},{"heading":"Attendance and Assignment Tracking","content":"Users can track and log their attendance and calcuate the number. The user can also log their assignments and use the website as a checklist for these assignments."},{"heading":"Test Generation","content":"The user can assess their knowledge about a certain topic they have studied in the form of graded multiple-choice based tests and as flashcards."},{"heading":"Secure Authentication","content":"The application uses secure authentication methods to log into the system, and a robust database to store user details, questions, tests and more."}],"contributions":["Assumed the responsibility of \"Project Manager\" and managed a team of 6 people working on the project","Trained the LLM (based on DeepSeek R1) on cloud and local machines.","Collected the data for training the model from textbooks, using manual scanning, distillation and several scraping techniques.","Developed several backend features, especially those related to interfacing with the actual model.","Assisted in deploying the backend onto HuggingFace Spaces, and uploaded the model onto HuggingFaces.","Assisted in designing several UI components and pages in the application.","Funded the development of the application until a grant was offered to us by our college."],"notes":["This capstone project spanned seven months from ideation to presentation and was presented before my graduation.","Features like a mental health guide, study roadmap generator, and PDF chat export were planned, but they were scrapped due to time constraints.","The project successfully attracted an external investor grant, and these investors plan to further expand its capabilities.","The research done on this project yielded 3 research papers. One was presented at an IEEE conference, one was published in the IJERT journal and one is currently under review.","The project's technical sophistication and innovation were highly praised by an examiner from IITB (Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay) during its final assessment."],"videos":[],"screenshotCount":10},{"title":"Findly - Lost and Found Application","slug":"findly","category":"Other Projects","date":"2025-01","type":"software","summary":"An Android application with a Firebase-powered backend, which acts as a platform to list lost or found items and chat with users to recover lost items or return found ones.","description":"A comprehensive Android application designed to help users connect and exchange information about lost and found items. It provides a platform where users can post detailed listings of items they have lost or found, complete with categories, descriptions, and images. The app facilitates direct communication between users through an integrated real-time chat system, allowing for efficient resolution and return of items. It also includes robust user management features, personal item listings, and a dynamic interface for a seamless user experience.","url":"https://www.shaadqrsh.com/projects/findly","links":[{"label":"GitHub","url":"https://github.com/shaadqrsh/findly-android-studio/"}],"technologies":["Java","XML","Android Studio","Firebase"],"features":[{"heading":"Instant Item Updates","content":"The live, continuously updating feed of lost and found items lets users see new item posts and existing item updates instantly, ensuring they always have the most current information."},{"heading":"In-App Chat Feature","content":"Users can participate in private conversations directly within the app, facilitating direct and secure communication between 2 people to discuss item details and coordinate returns."},{"heading":"Camera and Gallery Integration","content":"The app has robust photo upload capabilities, enabling users to attach images to item listings and profile pictures directly from their device's camera or photo gallery."},{"heading":"Secure Contact Sharing","content":"Chats feature an integrated option for users to securely share their personal contact details (phone number and/or email), facilitating direct contact while maintaining privacy."},{"heading":"Personalized Item Browsing Views","content":"The app offers distinct browsing categories, each with dynamic search capability: \"Lost\" and \"Found\" for general listings, and a \"Mine\" section for the current user's items."}],"contributions":["Designed, implemented, and maintained the client-side Android application","Structured the Firebase Realtime Database for storage and retrieval of user profiles, item listings, and real-time messages.","Implemented custom user registration and login flows, managing user sessions, and ensuring that users can only access and modify data relevant to them.","Developed image capture/select functionality, and integrating with Firebase Storage for secure image uploads and retrieval.","Developing layouts, implementing responsive UI elements, smooth navigation, and providing clear user feedback through XML and Java."],"notes":["This project was developed as a project showcase for the subject \"Advanced Mobile Programming\". It was developed in a span of 3 weeks, and completed 3 months before our evaluation.","The inspiration for Findly sprang from first-hand experience of the inefficiency of poorly managed lost-and-found system on campus. The vision was to replace messy lost-and-found boxes with a streamlined digital solution.","The practical utility of the app impressed our professor and there were discussions about its potential deployment as the official lost-and-found system for the entire college campus.","Ideas like Google Maps for item location tracking, leveraging AI for image matching between lost and found items, incorporating push notifications for category alerts were considered during planning, but were scrapped for the initial release to focus on getting the key features in place first.","As a solo developer, I opted for Firebase as the backend, for its real-time features for dynamic updates and live chat. Despite the credit card requirement, this choice simplified infrastructure setup, freeing me to concentrate on the Android app's UI/UX and core logic, ultimately making it the sole project in the batch with a robust server backend.","The project utilizes a custom authentication system developed from the ground-up using Firebase and traditional encryption techniques, because I was unable to integrate Firebase Authentication. This was removed in the GitHub release, where passwords are plaintext instead."],"videos":[],"screenshotCount":9}],"publications":[{"title":"GPT vs. Open-Source LLMs: A Comprehensive Performance and Capability Assessment","venue":"IJERT","date":"2025-11-27","url":"https://www.ijert.org/gpt-vs--open-source-llms--a-comprehensive-performance-and-capability-assessment"},{"title":"Building Trust in Transformers with a Shap- Based Approach for Explaining AI Decisions","venue":"IEEE Xplore","date":"2025-08-21","url":"https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11115248"}],"certifications":[{"title":"Complete C# Unity 3D Game Development (Updated To Unity 6)","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Complete C# Unity 2D Game Development (Updated To Unity 6)","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Unreal Engine 5 C++ Game Development (Updated 5.6)","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Unreal Engine 5 Blueprint Game Development (Updated 5.6)","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Complete Blender Creator: 3D Modelling (Compatible with 4.3)","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Learn Professional 2D Game Graphic Design in Photoshop","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Adobe Premiere Pro Masterclass: Video Editing in Premiere","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Ultimate Photoshop Training: From Beginner to Pro 2025 + AI","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Pixel Art Master Course - Beginner to Professional/Freelance","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Git Complete: The definitive, step-by-step guide to Git","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Agile Fundamentals: Including Scrum & Kanban","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"The Complete SQL Bootcamp: Go from Zero to Hero","issuer":"Udemy","date":"2025"},{"title":"Foundations of Responsible AI Learning","issuer":"Northeastern University","date":"2026-01","url":"https://northeastern.badges.parchment.com/public/credentials/CklJNl42S_qI4yZWt20Smw"},{"title":"Robotic Process Automation (RPA)","issuer":"Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics","date":"2024-08"},{"title":"Excel Essentials: From Basics to Advanced","issuer":"Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics","date":"2024-08"},{"title":"Mastering Cyber Threats and Defense with Kali Linux","issuer":"Astra Cybertech","date":"2025-01"}]}