Welcome!
I am Emilio Garcia. Senior Computer Engineering Student at RIT, with more than a year of internship experience at WHOOP, SharkNinja, RIT DIRS Lab, and Novatec Group. I am interested in software development, embedded systems, hardware design, and robotics.
I am currently seeking 2027 full-time roles in any of the disciplines mentioned above. Please feel free to reach out to me via email or LinkedIn if you would like to connect!
Experience
Cofounder & Developer
OpenCTF - Rochester, NY
May 2026 – Present
- Co-founded an open-source STEM education platform that helps professors quickly set up engaging challenges related to their coursework for students to compete and solve.
- Engineered a lightweight backend REST API utilizing Bun and Hono to maximize request processing speeds.
Research Assistant
RIT DIRS Lab - Rochester, NY
May 2026 – Present
- Optimized low-level C++ networking logic and infrastructure for a spectral goniometer system on Linux, deploying Docker to upgrade TCP/IP streams, eliminate software vulnerabilities, and reliably automate precise measurements.
Manufacturing Test Engineer Co-op
WHOOP - Boston, MA
July 2025 – December 2025
- Engineered a full-stack web application (Flask + React) creating a RAG system with LLMs to parse manufacturing data and recommend error root causes, accelerating failure analysis throughput by 60%.
- Automated manufacturing failure identification by building Python diagnostic scripts integrated into the CI pipeline, bridging firmware and quality data to accelerate cross-functional debugging.
Product Test Engineer Co-op
SharkNinja - Needham, MA
June 2024 – December 2024
- Engineered embedded control software for custom hardware validation rigs, interfacing Arduino and Raspberry Pi microcontrollers with sensor networks to automate real-world environment simulations.
- Programmed data acquisition pipelines in C++ and Python to ingest and analyze multi-sensor telemetry data (force, temperature, acceleration), streamlining hardware performance validation.
Software Engineering Intern
Novatec Group - Leon, GTO, Mexico
May 2023 – August 2023
- Engineered a real-time data ingestion system in Java to monitor 30 industrial machines simultaneously, processing 5,000+ parameters per machine to fully automate manual status checks.
Head of Miscellaneous Chaos
Family Business - Leon, GTO, Mexico
2017 – Present
- Supported the family business by managing inventory, coordinating international shipments, and attending to fashion conferences.
- Developed ecomerce sites for the bussines, supporting the online sales and marketing of the products.
Projects
An open-source STEM education platform engineered with modern REST API architecture for capture-the-flag learning modules and real-time user scoring.
Spatial Perception & Interactive Dynamic Exploration Robot designed for custom multi-sensor integration, digital control logic, and terrain traversal.
Designed and developed a journaling device using an ESP32 microcontroller, and a microphone to record audio and send to a transcribing server to ultimately display it in a comprehensive UI.
Created an informational hub for the 2026 peruvian elections, automated the creation of 30+ candidate profiles including their political history, background summary, and social media sentiment analysis. Utilized LLMs to summarize and standardize the information across all candidates.
Lead a team of 14 students to design and develop a smart mirror software from scratch, implemented in a raspberry Pi, including facial recognition and a touchscreen interface.
Autonomous racing platform utilizing line-scan camera sensors and low-level microcontroller feedback loops to achieve high-speed navigation.
Leadership & Involvement
Co-Founder, Technical & Business Developer
May 2026 – August 2026Bernard Kozel Startup Program at RIT
Selected among 7 teams to receive funding and mentorship to develop OpenCTF, succesfully co-leading a team of 5, and completing 80+ customer interviews to validate the product-market fit of the product.
Academic Director
September 2022 – May 2025Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) - RIT
Directed academic workshops, peer tutoring initiatives, and career preparation sessions for engineering students, fostering professional growth and technical retention among the hispanic comunity at RIT. Supported 10+ stuents to attend the SHPE national conference every year, providing a unique leadership opportunity and networking experience.
Founder & Tutor
January 2020 - August 2022Technopunch
Founded Technopunch Academy, providing hands-on education in programming and project development using Python, Arduino, and 3D printing, offering technical and problem solving skills to every student. Mentored over 15 students, guiding them through technical projects and helping them understand the concepts involved.
Team Leader & Programmer
2016 - 2022Highscool Robotics Team
Led a team of 3 across international and national competitions, in Mexico, United Kingdom, Latin America, and the United States. Won first palce in the mexican World Educational Robotics (WER) nationals, and first place in the english WER.