Pramod Shastry
San Diego
Summary
Dynamic undergraduate researcher with experience at Stealth Biotech, specializing in AI-driven data workflows and machine learning algorithms. Proven ability to enhance project outcomes through effective team collaboration and innovative problem-solving strategies. Skilled in Python programming and bioinformatics, contributing to impactful research in synthetic biology and cancer detection.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
Work History
Undergraduate Researcher
Daniel Kim Lab, UCSC
Santa Cruz
01.2026 - Current
- Transcriptomic Research: Contributing to the development of RNA liquid biopsy technologies by exploring the use of non-coding RNA "dark matter" for early cancer detection.
- AI Methodology Exploration: Evaluating the implementation of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) and OpenAI developer tools to automate the validation of experimental transcriptomic results.
- Infrastructure Support: Assisting in the integration of lab-developed bioinformatics tools into scalable pipelines for high-throughput genomic data analysis.
Member
2026 UCSC iGEM Team
Santa Cruz
12.2025 - Current
- Collaborative Design: Selected for a multi-disciplinary team to design and build a novel synthetic biology system for the annual international iGEM competition
- Computational Modeling: Contributing to the Dry Lab efforts, including software development and mathematical modeling of biological circuits to predict system behavior
- Stakeholder Engagement: Participating in Human Practices and outreach to ensure the project addresses real-world challenges in health or sustainability
Machine Learning Intern
Stealth Biotech
06.2025 - 09.2025
- AI Infrastructure & Workflow Design: Built Python-based orchestration pipelines to convert chemical structure images and unstructured scientific documents into structured molecular representations (SMILES)
- External Data Integration: Engineered automated extraction systems to parse images and tables from large scientific PDF collections, transforming unstructured figures into machine-readable data
- Scalable Synthetic Data Workflows: Developed high-throughput synthetic data generation pipelines to improve model robustness on complex, non-standard chemical representations, using efficient columnar storage formats (e.g., Parquet)
- Validation & Quality Control: Implemented multi-layer validation using cheminformatics tools (e.g., RDKit) and cross-referencing against public chemical databases to ensure chemical correctness and consistency
- Data Democratization: Built automated reporting and query tools that enabled non-technical research teams to explore and analyze large-scale structured outputs
Undergraduate Researcher
Braingeneers Lab, UCSC Genomics Institute
Santa Cruz
05.2025 - 06.2025
- AI-Driven Biological Data Analysis: Applied self-supervised vision models (DINOv2) to segment and analyze large-scale brain organoid imaging datasets, enabling quantitative assessment of tissue organization
- Translational Insight Generation: Analyzed interneuron migration patterns across 3D organoid models, translating complex spatial imaging data into biologically interpretable metrics
Research Volunteer
National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, UCSD
08.2021 - 09.2023
- Computational Imaging & Data Analysis: Developed Python-based machine learning pipelines to segment and analyze large-scale microscopy datasets of neuronal and bacterial systems
- 3D Biological Reconstruction: Generated 3D structural reconstructions of neuronal networks and bacterial distributions, enabling quantitative analysis and hypothesis-driven biomedical research
- Workflow Optimization: Standardized and optimized image analysis workflows to improve scalability, reproducibility, and downstream usability across research projects
Education
B.S. - Biomolecular Engineering & Bioinformatics
University of California, Santa Cruz
06.2027
Diploma -
Westview High School
06.2023
Skills
- Programming & Engineering: Python, Docker, Parquet, JanusGraph (Knowledge Graphs), LLM Fine-tuning, RAG, Agentic AI, Git
- Bioinformatics & Tools: RDKit (Cheminformatics), SMILES/OCSR, ImageJ/FIJI, PyTorch, Google Colab/GCP
- Soft Skills: Cross-functional collaboration with research scientists, technical documentation, translating biological questions into computational solutions
Leadership Experience
- UCSC Quiz Bowl Team, Founder & President, 12/01/24, present, Founded and led a new student organization focused on academic competition and interdisciplinary knowledge, Organized recruitment, practices, and competition logistics while coordinating a growing team of members
- Bioinformatics Club, Career Development Chair, 01/01/24, present, Organized workshops and networking events to support students' professional development in bioinformatics, Coordinated logistics and collaborated with club members to run large-scale events (Biohacks Hackathon 2025)
- Hindu Yuva, Vice President, 01/01/24, present, Planned and executed cultural and community events (Diwali, Yoga Day, Garba), Managed event logistics and worked closely with team members to ensure successful programming
Timeline
Undergraduate Researcher
Daniel Kim Lab, UCSC
01.2026 - Current
Member
2026 UCSC iGEM Team
12.2025 - Current
Machine Learning Intern
Stealth Biotech
06.2025 - 09.2025
Undergraduate Researcher
Braingeneers Lab, UCSC Genomics Institute
05.2025 - 06.2025
Research Volunteer
National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research, UCSD
08.2021 - 09.2023
B.S. - Biomolecular Engineering & Bioinformatics
University of California, Santa Cruz
Diploma -
Westview High School