About Me

Hey, I'm Daniel Zhan. Here's a quick summary about me:

  • Johns Hopkins '25: M.S. in Robotics.
  • Cornell '23: B.S. in Computer Science + Engineering Physics.
  • Currently a software engineer at Lockheed Martin.
  • Spending free time playing badminton and weightlifting.

    • Some stuff I've used or done before:
    Python C++ Java Fortran SQL Git Unix Research Robotics Software Development Computational Modelling Circuit Design and Analysis Machine Learning

    I'm always open to new challenges and projects! You can reach me at dz268 (at) cornell (dot) edu.

    This site was last updated 12/8/23.

    Education

    The Johns Hopkins University

    M.S. Robotics '25

    Notable coursework: Mathematical Methods for Engineers, Algorithms for Data Science
    Societies: Terradynamics Lab, Badminton Club Team

    Cornell University

    B.S. Computer Science & Engineering Physics '23

    Notable coursework: Machine Learning, Robot Learning, Algorithms, Operating Systems, Computer System Organization, Analytical Mechanics, Electrodynamics, Electronic Circuits, Data Analytics (TA)
    Societies: Badminton Club Team, Cornell Mars Rover, Fuchs Group, Laboratory of Plasma Physics

    Experience

    Software Engineer @ Lockheed Martin

    Aug 2023 onwards | Moorestown, NJ

    I'm developing new functionality for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.

    Software Engineer @ Cornell Mars Rover

    Sept 2020 - Jun 2023 | Ithaca, New York

    I worked with a team of ~70 undergraduate engineers to design and build a rover to compete in the annual University Rover Challenge. Some tasks these rovers compete in include performing various operations with the arm, including inserting USB sticks and typing on keyboards. I upgraded our arm control software package from ROS 1 to ROS 2, re-implemented all core functionality (including a Forward Kinematics control scheme), and developed a new Inverse Kinematics control scheme to accelerate the completion of certain tasks.

    Undergrad Research Assistant @ Seyler Group

    Sept 2022 - May 2023 | Ithaca, NY

    I developed upon 2D and 3D simulations modelling the magnetohydrodynamic flow of ablating plasma. I used Fortran 90 to simulate magnetic fields ablating solid aluminum and manipulating the resulting plasma into a coherent jet. I utilized explicit concurrent programming in the simulation over 32 space cells (over 32 computing cores) with interacting boundaries to reduce simulation runtime from 1 week to 5 hours.

    Coherent plasma jets have applications to nuclear fusion energy. For example, a basic way to induce nuclear fusion is to point two jets of fusible material in extreme temperature and pressure conditions towards each other. The particulate kinetic energy from the resulting fusion reaction can be collected and used to generate electricity.

    Undergrad Research Assistant @ Fuchs Group

    Sept 2021 - May 2023 | Ithaca, NY

    I developed a computational quantum dynamics model of the NV center in Python using the QuTiP library, focusing on quantifying the rate of photoluminescent (PL) transitions. I found that driving the NV center with a resonant magnetic field reduces the PL output of relevant transitions by ~20%. This implies the NV center could be useful as a quantum magnetic field sensor, i.e. we could put the NV center anywhere and simply "look" at it (collect photon output data) to determine if a resonant magnetic field exists there.

    Physics Lab Technician Intern @ Honeywell

    Jun 2021 - Aug 2021 | Broomfield, Colorado

    I developed a Surface Ion Trap Chip tester to automate testing of Honeywell Quantum’s surface electrode traps. This program is written in Python and interfaces with NI measurement chasse to measure said traps' electrical characteristics. It includes a live hardware calibration, capacitance and resistance tests, a histogram plotter to visualize data, and a GUI for less software-savvy users. It reduces testing time by over 90%, personnel needed to test the trap by 100% (wow!), and scales linearly with trap size - which will be important when Honeywell Quantum makes larger and more sophisticated ion traps.

    Robotic Process Automation Intern @ Merck

    Jun 2020 - Dec 2020 | Kenilworth, New Jersey

    I implemented automation processes using Robotic Process Automation concepts to accelerate the processing of competitor medication documentation by >2000% using Python and the Selenium and Pandas libraries.

    Projects





    • Flappy Bird AI

      I developed an AI learner for Flappy Bird using reinforcement learning in Python with the PyGame library. After several hours of training, the learner achieved a score of over 10,000, a score that is impossible to achieve for the average human.



    • Aphelion Defense

      I served as team lead for a team of ten to develop a mobile video game. The game involves networked multiplayer real-time strategy where multiple players compete against each other to conquer a dynamic solar system. Try the beta version on any iOS device here.



    • County Political Predictor

      I developed a machine learning model to predict the political leaning of every United States county based on demographics information such as median income, age, and education level. The model achieved >85% accuracy as compared to the 2016 presidential election.



    • Quantum Algorithms

      I implemented several quantum algorithms in Python, using IBM's Qiskit to visualize, transpile, and simulate runs on local hardware. Notable among those implemented are Grover's and Shor's algorithms, both of which solve non-trivial problems at a reduced time complexity as compared to the best classical solutions.



    • General Fusion Research Project

      I worked with a partner to provide a technical analysis of General Fusion's thermonuclear fusion reactor design. Some reactor design decisions we focused on were the liquid metal wall and acoustic compression pistons. See the paper here and the presentation here.



    • RISC-V Processor

      I worked with a partner to implement a full five-stage pipelined RISC-V processor in Logisim. It includes a read-only program memory, a register file, an ALU, and RAM. One interesting feature implemented was an LCD screen, enabling the simulated processor to run the game Pong.



    • Michelson Interferometer Project

      I utilized a Michelson Interferometer apparatus to measure the relative distance between two mirrors and quantify the wavelength splitting of the mercury yellow doublet using optical interference phenomena.



    • Mechanical Resonator Project

      I analyzed the oscillation properties of a piezoelectric quartz resonator using circuit-based methods, and fit resulting data to the Butterworth-Van Dyke equivalent circuit.



    • Cornell Badminton Club Site

      I created a homepage for the Cornell Badminton Club and Team, developed in HTML/CSS and Javascript. It displays team members and provides club-wide announcements, including free play times. Check it out here.