Yash Shah

I am a Master's student in Computer Science, part of the School of Engineering at Stanford University. I matriculated in 2023 and am specializing in Artificial Intelligence.

Previously, I received my Bachelor's degree (Summa Cum Laude) from University of California, San Diego between 2019 and 2023, where I majored in Computer Science and minored in Humanities. There, I worked in Dr. Nadir Weibel's and Dr. Garrison Cottrell's labs and was a course assistant for CSE 151B under Dr. Garrison Cottrell (Fall 2022) and Dr. Rose Yu (Spring 2023).

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Research

I'm broadly interested in biologically-plausible AI for vision and language, applications of AI in healthcare, and generative AI.

Convolutional Neural Networks With Divisive Normalization Across Similar Features

In this paper, we explore using divisive normalization across neuronal sub-populations computing similar features, with and without an associated rectifier like ReLU, to enforce local competition. We create these neuronal sub-populations that compute similar features by sampling the weights for NxN convolutional filters from a multivariate N^2–dimensional gaussian distribution. Results are analyzed based on top-1 accuracy and computation speed on CIFAR-10 and CIFAR-100.

iContour: Design and Development of a Cross–Platform Contouring System in Healthcare Treatment and Education

This paper presents iContour: the first cross-platform interface that enables examining and contouring medical images, a critical step in radiotherapy treatment planning aimed at identifying and segmenting tumors, not only on desktop computers, but also on everyday touch devices.

Industry Experience

A collection of my internship and full-time projects.

Software Engineer

Queried ~8M cards for various merchants using PostgreSQL and submitted for bulk network token enrollment. Analyzed 3-D secure transactions for 118 merchants and (1) enabled them to be processed through network tokenization first in production, (2) modified the way 3-D secure transactions are processed for certain processors and card types in the codebase so that future transactions can be directly processed through NT First.

Software Engineer Intern

Enabled network tokenization first for payment transaction processing for PayPal’s merchant partners to improve security and optimize authorization rates by around 40% for some merchants. Utilized data monitoring tools for monitoring code changes. Added a Foreign Tax ID Prompt to the Token Requestor ID (TRID) Onboarding UI to enable foreign merchants to apply for network tokenization.

Technology Development Intern

Developed a client portal using React and TypeScript and made Axios calls to the server using React Redux to onboard clients and allow them to place requests for Optum’s API services. Performed interface and architecture design research before building the portal for seamless user experience. Influenced company executives by presenting the business benefits of my project at Shark Tank presentations.

Other Technical Projects

These include coursework and side projects.

You Text, We Sketch: Text-guided Diffusion For Vectorized Sketch Generation

In this paper, we explore text-conditioned diffusion models for vectorized sketch generation by conditioning on text during training by feeding text tokens into a Transformer used as a text encoder, and introduce classifier-free guidance to improve sample quality.

Can a Set of Calibrated Weak Learners Create a Single Calibrated Strong Learner?

In this paper, we propose a unique way of implicitly calibrating AdaBoost (a traditional Machine Learning ensemble classifier) during training (as opposed to other post-hoc state-of-the-art techniques) through doubly-calibrating individual weak learners in the ensemble.

Image Captioning with Recurrent Neural Networks

In this work we present and analyze the working of a deep RNN in action by captioning images taken from the Microsoft COCO 2014 dataset. We explore various learning rate schedulers, ways of embedding and encoding, LSTMs, temperatures, etc.

PomoHero

A Pomodoro timer, based on the Pomodoro technique to help users better organize their schedules and get work done through time management.

Non-Technical Projects

From my Humanities minor.

Gender and Sexuality Through the Visual Imagery of Colors

In the stories of Colette and in Les Guérillères by Monique Wittig, we see different colors appear in different stories, bringing with them different symbolic connotations that may highlight themes within these stories that are not evident at first. Trying to interpret the visual imagery that colors bring might help us answer questions concerning why Colette and Wittig use them in the first place.

Thematization and Same-Sex Desire in “Song of the Ugly Maiden”

An interpretation of Eliza Cook’s poem “Song of the Ugly Maiden” is her yearning for a love for women. In this paper, I argue for this through analyzing thematization the occurs in the poem through rhyme scheme deviations, use of alliterations, word choices, and Cook having the Ugly Maiden sing her song as an interior monologue.

Women and Power in The Merchant of Venice

One of the questions that Shakespeare raises in his play The Merchant of Venice is the ability of women to have autonomy and exercise power. This autonomy and power, however, is confined to the domestic sphere between the husband and the wife. In the public sphere, women get to exercise power when they disguise themselves as men. Shakespeare, by portraying women in this manner, challenges the conventional social system of patriarchy.

The Plowman's Tale in The Canterbury Tales

An exercise in creative and imaginative writing, this paper presents a poem that the Plowman in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales could have sung if he were given a speaking role. A possible theme, which this paper presents, is the Plowman’s narration of the events of the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381 and an attempt to “quite” Chaucer.

Du Bois, Racial Equality, and Gender Equality

In this argumentative essay, I view W. E. B. Du Bois’ text The Souls of Black Folk, being an undertaking for racial equality for Black Americans, through the lens of Simone de Beauvoir and her text The Second Sex, which has become, arguably, a classic text for the advocation of gender equality for women.

Honors and Awards

Across the years...

Computer Science and Engineering Department Excellence Award

for outstanding academic and leadership performance, and exceptional contributions to university life.

Christine Norris Award

for outstanding achievement in The Humanities.

Revelle College Provost’s Honors Certificate

for achieving a minimum grade point average of 3.5 for at least 12 graded units for all three quarters in an academic year.

Revelle College Provost’s Honors Certificate

for achieving a minimum grade point average of 3.5 for at least 12 graded units for all three quarters in an academic year.

Outstanding Leadership Award

for exceptional efforts in guiding others and ensuring the success of “Pick-A-Pal” event.

Exceptional Diligence Award

for outstanding dedication to the programs executed in the 2019 Fall Quarter.

Design and source code from the Jekyll fork by Leonid Keselman of Jon Barron's website