chris@portfolio:~ $
chris@portfolio: ~
whoami. chris li — computer engineering @ mcmaster university. cat focus.md. building ai systems, developer tools, and high-performance web apps.
NORMAL~/portfolioutf-8mainToronto, ON

~/about

building across the stack

From embedded systems and robotics to ai-powered applications and developer tooling.

I'm a Computer Engineering student at McMaster building systems that bridge software, AI, and hardware — from low-level design and robotics to full-stack apps and ML tooling.

Lately: vision-language models, computer vision, and robotics. Recent work includes an AI desktop assistant on Qwen3-VL and a real-time gesture system with OpenCV + MediaPipe. Mostly Python, Rust, and TypeScript.

Off the clock: the gym, guitar, the kitchen, and side projects that were supposed to take one evening.

2nd yryear
2029graduation
comp engprogram
McMasterschool
interests
AI/LLMs · Robotics · Computer Vision · Full Stack · Developer Tools
languages
English · Mandarin
  • languages
    • Python
    • TypeScript
    • JavaScript
    • Rust
    • Java
    • C++
    • SQL
  • web
    • React
    • Next.js
    • Tailwind
    • Framer Motion
    • Angular
    • Node.js
    • Express
    • Flask
  • ai / ml
    • OpenCV
    • MediaPipe
    • PyTorch
    • TensorFlow
    • scikit-learn
    • Ollama
    • Claude API
    • GitHub Copilot
    • Cursor
    • LangChain
  • tools / hw
    • Git
    • Docker
    • Linux
    • Arduino
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Autodesk Inventor

~/stack

what i build with

I reach for tools that get out of the way. Compiled where performance matters, typed everywhere, and as close to the metal as the problem warrants — spanning AI/ML, full-stack, and hardware.

languages
  • Python
  • TypeScript
  • JavaScript
  • Rust
  • Java
  • C++
  • SQL
web
  • React
  • Next.js
  • Tailwind
  • Framer Motion
  • Angular
  • Node.js
  • Express
  • Flask
ai / ml
  • OpenCV
  • MediaPipe
  • PyTorch
  • TensorFlow
  • scikit-learn
  • Ollama
  • Claude API
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Cursor
  • LangChain
tools / hw
  • Git
  • Docker
  • Linux
  • Arduino
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Autodesk Inventor

~/projects

things i've built

A few projects where I went a level deeper than I needed to — compilers, consensus, build systems. The kind of thing that's more fun to debug than it has any right to be.

  • On-demand AI desktop assistant that reads your screen

    RustJavaScriptTauriOllama
  • Hands-free media control via real-time gesture recognition

    PythonOpenCVMediaPipe
  • Backend reservation system with file-based persistence

    Java

~/work

where i've worked

Three teams, one throughline: make the slow thing fast and the fragile thing boring.

Ontario Public Service

Junior Technical Analyst

Apr 2026 – Present

  • Integrated AODA compliance scanning into Azure DevOps pipelines using Playwright and PowerShell, increasing automated accessibility detection coverage by ~25 percentage points and reducing manual review effort.

  • Contributed to modernization of multiple public-facing applications including COJG and OJCP, supporting migration, code quality improvements, and long-term platform maintainability across .NET and Angular.

  • Presented proof-of-concept initiatives and technical roadmap recommendations to 100+ participants, communicating modernization strategies and GitHub Copilot rollout across the organization.

  • McMaster University

    Lead Robotics Project Coordinator

    Sep – Dec 2025

  • Led technical coordination across a 5-person multidisciplinary team, aligning mechanical design, control systems, and testing workflows for an autonomous robotic end-effector on the Quanser QARM.

  • Improved robotic grasp stability by 20% through iterative mechanical design in Autodesk Inventor, prototyping and benchmarking multiple gripper geometries against weighted success criteria.

  • Built a Python-based simulation framework driving CSV-defined test cases, making grasp trials repeatable and turning ad-hoc tuning into data-backed design decisions.

  • ~/contact

    let's build something._

    Actively seeking summer 2027 internships in software engineering, AI/ML, and hardware. Always happy to talk AI, robotics, or a good side project.

    $lichris174@gmail.com