Sepehr Akbari

Hi! My name is Sepehr, I'm a junior pursuing a bachelors in Computer Science and Mathematics at Lake Forest College. I have a passion for human-centered AI and creative problem-solving. Most of my coursework and projects focus on deep learning and AI engineering, but I've also worked on full-stack development (MERN), GPU computing with CUDA, and basic quantum computing using Qiskit. I'm especially excited about building creative AI models and algorithms that push boundaries and open up new possibilities.

My current research interest is in the use of deep learning and various neural networks for computing Gröbner bases and problems in commutative algebra.

While I enjoy the algorithmic and automated world, I'm just as interested in how technology connects with human creativity and innovation. Always open to learning and connecting; feel free to reach out!

Current Endeavours

Courses:

• CSCI 325: Artificial Intelligence
• MATH 350: Mathematical Probability

This semester I am starting my bachelor's thesis focusing on a novel approach of computing Gröbner bases using neural networks.

Additionally, I work as a software engineer at the Applied Data Center, building internal tools for usage across various departments. I am also a teaching assistant for multiple CS/Math courses.

Projects

• My LLM: an LLM built from the ground up, using gpt-oss and qwen3 weights.(on-going)
• Enrollment Cliff: an ML approach to analyzing enrollment trends and US college closures.
• Randomity: a novel Python package for generating and assessing randomness.
• Objectness: an enhanced pipeline for object and saliency detection
• Here is Waldo: finding Waldo with a novel Transfer Learning approach
• Context Color: intelligently colorize BW images through controlled CNN hallucination
• Semantique: NLP model for starring movie reviews
• Video Store: a DBMS for a movie rental store chain
• Hemo Lens: blood cells analysis pipeline using classical methods
• Stop the Churn: retention prediction tool
• Caelum-Lang: self-designed compiler (on-going)
• Tracking CO2 Footprint: carbon emissions trend prediction
• Two Faces of the Moon: Pink Floyd, statistically
• Radioactive Modeling: simulating nuclear decay
• Trash Inference: understanding Baltimorians, from their trash
• Gas Today: exploring imputing prices in time series data
• Algorithming Sudoku: a backtracking solution to create and solve sudoku puzzles (on-going)

Publications

A Python package for generating and assessing randomness. [Python Package Index (PyPI), 2025, Sepehr Akbari]

Comparing Insertion Complexity in AVL and Splay BSTs [Unpublished Manuscript, 2022, Sepehr Akbari]

Modeling a Chicken Egg [Unpublished Manuscript, 2022, Sepehr Akbari]

Teaching

[Current Office Hours]

Teaching Assistant, CSCI 317: Data Structures & Algorithms [Dr. Sugata Banerji, Fall '25, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, MATH 250: Statistical Programming [Dr. Andrew Gard, Fall '25, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, CSCI 250: Programming for Data Applications [Dr. Arthur Bousquet, Fall '25, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, MATH 230: Abstract & Discrete Mathematics [Dr. Sara Jamshidi, Fall '25, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, MATH 150: Probability & Statistics [Dr. Tung Nguyen, Summer '25, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, MATH/CSCI 240: Computational Mathematics [Dr. Sara Jamshidi, Spring '25, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, CSCI 112: Functional Programming [Dr. Tung Nguyen, Spring '25, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, CSCI 107: Web Programming [Dr. Tung Nguyen, Spring '25, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, CSCI 112: Functional Programming [Dr. Tung Nguyen, Fall '24, Lake Forest College]

Teaching Assistant, CSCI 112: Functional Programming [Zoya Mirza, Spring '24, Lake Forest College]

Team Mentor, Rescuer Robotics Team [Salam Dibaji Highschool, Summer '23, FIRA Cup]

Industry Work

Software Engineer, Applied Data Center [Summer '25 - ongoing]

Software Engineer (Intern), Tenacity AI [Summer '24]

Software Engineer (Intern), Elite Engineering Solution [Summer '23]

Software Engineer (Intern), Lavan Energy Group [Summer '22]

Past Courses

CSCI 450: Computer Vision & Machine Learning
MATH/CSCI 231: Linear Algebra
CSCI 327: Database Systems
CSCI 250: Programming for Data Applications
MATH/CSCI 240: Computational Mathematics
MATH 230: Abstract & Discrete Mathematics
CSCI 317: Data Structures & Algorithms
MATH 250: Statistical Programming
CSCI 270: Web Development
MATH 150: Probability & Statistics
CSCI 212: Object-Oriented Programming
MATH 111: Calculus II
MATH 110: Calculus I
CSCI 107: Web Programming

Current Favorite Algorithms

Teleportation

qc = QuantumCircuit(3, 3)
qc.h(1); qc.cx(1, 2)
qc.cx(0, 1); qc.h(0)
qc.measure([0, 1], [0, 1])

Latent Walk

interpolated_zs = [
 start_z + (end_z - start_z) * i / steps
 for i in range(steps)]
generated = [
 model.decoder(z) for z in interpolated_zs]
return generated