cv

Last updated: 2026-07-21

Basics

Name
Declan Chan
Website
Socials

Education

2025 – Present
University of Toronto
BASc in Engineering Science
  • Dean’s Honours List (all semesters)
2021 – 2025
Maple High School
IB Diploma Programme
  • IB Score: 45/45

Technical Skills

Languages
Python, C, SQL, MATLAB, SystemVerilog, Bash
Libraries/Frameworks
PyTorch, NumPy, Matplotlib, ROS
Tools
Git, Linux, Slurm, SQLite, SolidWorks, OnShape

Experience

2025 – Present
Software Developer
Robotics for Space Exploration
  • Developing a ROS 2 imitation-learning system to replace inverse kinematics for robotic manipulation.
  • Building ROS bag workflows to collect joint-state data for transformer policy training.
  • Evaluating LeRobot’s ACT model for autonomous hammer pickup and equipment servicing.
2026 – 2026
Machine Learning Research Fellow
Autonomous Discovery of Alloys
  • Evaluated the robustness of machine learning force fields (MLFFs) for trustworthy AI in materials discovery.
  • Automated computational experiments using Python, Bash, and Linux on Canada’s Fir HPC cluster.
  • Benchmarked MLFFs against density functional theory in collaboration with postdoctoral researchers.
  • Presented findings at Undergraduate Engineering Research Day Conference.
2026 – 2026
Space Systems Engineer
University of Toronto Aerospace Team
  • Developed Python software for CubeSat attitude determination and control algorithm testing.
  • Developed modular Python tools for attitude dynamics and flight simulation.
  • Simulated magnetic environments using a Helmholtz cage and MATLAB.
2021 – Present
Senior Instructor
Northern Karate Schools
  • Yondan: Certified 4th-degree Black Belt.
  • Gold medal at the Toronto International Tournament of Martial Arts Champions.
  • Led group and private karate classes for 100+ students each week.

Projects

2026
Machine Learning Force Field Attacks
  • Developed open-source software to generate gradient-based adversarial atomic perturbations.
  • Built data-processing pipelines for Materials Project and Li-C-O datasets with GitHub and Hugging Face.
  • Performed ASE relaxation and perturbations workflows using Bash and Slurm.
  • Analyzed and visualized attack performance using PyTorch, NumPy, and Matplotlib.
2026
Configurable PyTorch Deep Learning Lab
  • Developed a configurable PyTorch image-classification pipeline supporting reproducible training.
  • Designed modular training workflows supporting multiple datasets and model configurations.
  • Automated experiment tracking with SQLite and SQL to compare accuracy of model configurations.
2026
Medical RAG Platform
  • Built an interactive 3D web application for visualizing human disease progression.
  • Implemented a retrieval-augmented generation system using PubMed data and IBM watsonx.ai.
  • Integrated biomedical literature retrieval with an interactive React/Three.js frontend.