Arik Ahnaf

Experience

YU Blueprint

Software Developer

North York, ON, Canada

September 2025 – Present

Building an interactive scam-prevention training simulator for Gal Senior Care Foundation , using a Node.js and Express.js backend with a Typescript codebase to support a web application that helps seniors recognize, avoid, and report scams
Developed backend authentication middleware, verifying Firebase ID tokens with the Firebase Admin SDK and securely attaching authenticated user context to protected API routes
Working in an Agile, Scrum-style student team, actively completing tickets for features and bug fixes while collaborating in a structured workflow similar to professional engineering teams
Collaborating through a professional GitHub workflow , using feature branches, rebasing, pull requests, and code reviews to refine implementations based on project lead feedback
Applying real-world software engineering practices, including testing backend functionality, iterating on feedback, and refining implementations to deliver production-quality features for a nonprofit application

TELUS

Software Engineer Intern

Toronto, ON, Canada

January 2025 – August 2025

Developed a full-stack self-assessment web application for 50+ project managers, building the frontend with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the backend with Google Apps Script, and using Google Sheets as the database
Utilized the Materialize CSS framework to design a responsive, user-friendly interface for the self-assessment app, improving accessibility and overall user experience
Integrated Chart.js to build interactive dashboards that visualized self-assessment results through donut, horizontal bar, and radar charts, helping project managers identify strengths and areas for improvement
Leveraged GPT-4 LLM via Fuel iX API with prompt engineering in the self-assessment app to generate personalized feedback for users based on their responses
Built and deployed automated ETL pipelines in DOMO using MySQL to streamline project data analysis, enabling root cause identification of missed project milestones and enhancing reporting efficiency by saving the project managers 2+ hours weekly
Migrated 7 dashboards from DOMO to Tableau as part of a company-wide transiion, implementing advanced data visualizations (e.g., treemaps, pie charts, horizontal bar charts) and calculated fields to ensure data integrity and executive-ready insights
Researched 5G technologies (e.g., millimeter wave, massive MIMO, beamforming, network slicing, virtualization) and delivered a technical presentation to internal stakeholders
Created an animated video in Animaker explaining the 5G call process, covering UE initialization, session establishment, IP-based voice transmission, and data transport

Ontario Power Generation

Data Engineer Intern

Pickering, ON, Canada

January 2024 - August 2024

Built a comprehensive Power BI dashboard and Power Apps application for the Outage managers using data from the department's Microsoft SQL Server, enhancing data visualization and decision-making efficiency
Enhanced data performance by developing and optimizing 100+ SQL queries and 10+ complex stored procedures in SQL Server Management Studio, significantly reducing data loading times
Maintained 10+ Power BI dashboards and 3+ Power Apps applications for the Work Control team, adding new features and resolving data issues to ensure accurate reporting
Automated data entry in Excel through Python scripting and the utilization of the Pandas library, resulting in a weekly time savings of 3+ hours for the Safe Storage team
Designed and developed an entire SharePoint website for the Outage department at OPG's Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, improving collaboration and information management for 30+ employees
Collaborated with fellow interns to develop full-stack web applications, leveraging .NET for backend, Angular for frontend, and Microsoft SQL Server with Azure for cloud-based data management and deployment

Reference Letter 1 Reference Letter 2

Projects

Advanced Options Tracker

Developing a full-stack investment portfolio tracker, leveraging an AI-powered recommendation engine to provide personalized financial insights
Engineering a comprehensive options tracking module, supporting advanced strategies including Covered Calls, Cash-Secured Puts, Naked Calls, and Naked Puts, alongside a compound interest calculator
Building using Java and the Spring Boot framework for a robust backend, with Angular as the modern frontend framework to create a responsive and intuitive user interface

Java Spring Boot Angular

In Progress

USA Flight Delay Analytics

Built an interactive Streamlit + Plotly dashboard to analyze 2024 U.S. flight delays, highlighting airline performance, airport congestion, time-based trends, and delay causes
Designed a repeatable Python ETL pipeline with chunk-based processing to clean a ~1.2GB CSV, standardize fields, and engineer KPI-ready features
Created lightweight aggregated tables for fast loading and scalable hosting, enabling global filtering across KPIs, US map, trend lines, and ranking charts

Streamlit Plotly Python Pandas Jupyter Notebook

AI Waste Identifier

Engineered an end-to-end AI waste classifier using TensorFlow and Flask, enabling real-time detection of recyclable vs. organic materials
Optimized a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) training pipeline for Apple Silicon, reducing training time while achieving high accuracy on a 22,500 image dataset
Designed a responsive web interface using JavaScript (Fetch API) and CSS, allowing users to upload images and receive instant predictions without page reloads

Python TensorFlow Keras NumPy Pillow (PIL) Flask

Automatic Plant Watering Machine

Developed a Java application that monitors soil moisture and controls a water pump using the Firmata protocol for communication with an Arduino microcontroller
Implemented an autonomous control loop with hysteresis logic to monitor soil moisture, establishing distinct dry/wet thresholds that prevent the water waste
Implemented real-time data visualization using the Princeton Algorithms Library (Algs4) to plot live voltage graphs on the computer

Java JUnit 5 Arduino Sensors + Actuators

Welcome. I am Arik Ahnaf, an aspiring engineer.

I'm interested in

Education

Lassonde School of Engineering, York University

Relevant Courses

Fort Richmond Collegiate