Open to opportunities

Safal Shrestha

@safalshrestha1

Message

I build production AI systems for vision, reinforcement learning, and edge devices.

Nepal

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to build and research real-world AI systems spanning machine learning, computer vision, reinforcement learning, edge AI, MLOps, and GPU infrastructure, with opportunities to take models from experimentation to production.

I've built production AI applications through bala.ai, connecting computer vision models, AI services, APIs, databases, geospatial systems, and application interfaces.

At Kathmandu University, I secured a 2026 STEAM Research Grant for an RL-driven hydroponics automation system. I'm developing FastAPI, MQTT, and WebSocket services for sensor ingestion, inference, actuator control, and monitoring across real-world pH, EC, temperature, humidity, pumping, and nutrient-dosing workflows.

My projects include KU Krishi, a four-stage agricultural computer vision pipeline using YOLOv8, TensorFlow, OpenCV, FastAPI, Firebase, and Flutter; it was published on Google Play and selected as a 2024 National ICT Award semi-finalist.

I've also developed a PPO-based autonomous driving agent in CARLA using visual and LiDAR observations, and contributed to AIHPC infrastructure by configuring Kubernetes and HAProxy, profiling NVIDIA GPU topology, and documenting deployment constraints.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

AI/ML Research Associate

Current

Kathmandu University

Jan 2026 - Present (8 months)

Secured a 2026 STEAM Research Grant for an RL-driven hydroponics automation system. Developed Python, FastAPI, MQTT, and WebSocket services for sensor ingestion, preprocessing, inference, actuator control, and monitoring.

Python fastAPI MQTT WebSockets Reinforcement Learning Computer Vision IoT Edge AI ESP32 Raspberry Pi

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Kathmandu University

Bachelor of Technology, Artificial Intelligence

2022 -

Grade: 3.41/4.00

Pursuing a Bachelor of Technology in Artificial Intelligence with a focus on machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision. Achieved a CGPA of 3.41/4.00.