Systems Engineer & Data Analyst · UIUC '26 · Loren R. Maxey Scholar
I turn complex operational challenges into data-driven solutions, spanning supply chain optimization, sustainability analytics, award-winning hardware prototypes, and industrial design. GPA 3.56.
I'm Aakanksha! I've never been someone who could sit still when something wasn't working.
It started with curiosity. Not the kind you list on a resume, but the kind that makes you take something apart just to understand why it's built the way it is. That same instinct took me from manufacturing floors in Pune to supply chains in Delhi to sustainability operations at a Big Ten university and into a product lab where I had to learn an entirely new market, its customers, and its constraints before I could even pick up a design tool. I did it anyway. That's usually how it goes with me.
I've worked across operations, supply chain, quality engineering, product development, and consulting-adjacent roles, not because I couldn't decide, but because I genuinely find all of it interesting. I'm the person who notices the inefficiency before anyone names it, who builds the dashboard before anyone asks for it, and who stays until there's an answer on the table. I've cut procurement costs by 18%, saved penalty losses that were running at 150%, and helped divert 107 lbs of compost from a landfill in a single event. The numbers are different every time. The approach isn't.
What I've learned across all of it is that the most important work is rarely glamorous. It's the vendor audit, the compliance check, the spreadsheet that took three hours to build and saves three days of confusion. I take pride in those parts because I've seen what happens when someone doesn't.
I'm not someone who waits for a playbook. I've unified workflows that had no system, prototyped designs that started as sketches and ended as something someone could hold, and walked into rooms where I was the least experienced person and figured it out. I ask a lot of questions, I give too many ideas, and I don't stop at good enough.
I'm up for challenges in operations, supply chain, procurement, consulting, product development, or anywhere the problems are real and the stakes are higher than a class project. I want to build something real: a process, a product, a system, a company. And I want to be proud of the work behind it, not just the outcome.
If that sounds like someone you want in your corner, let's talk.
A multi-disciplinary toolkit spanning engineering, data, operations, and design.
Built end-to-end KPI dashboards tracking procurement spend, supplier quality, and sustainability metrics across fiscal years. Reduced reporting cycle by 2 days and enabled real-time decisions for cross-functional teams.
From award-winning hardware to industrial design, data systems, and structural optimization.
🏆 MIC 1st Place · $5,000
Co-led engineering subteam to build a universal add-on that converts manual wheelchairs into electric-powered ones at 65% lower cost than average electric wheelchairs, under 10 lbs, fully collapsible. Journey from NSF I-Corps → Cozad New Venture Challenge → Mottier Innovation Challenge 1st Place.
Confidential · NDA
SE 494 industry-sponsored capstone project. Conducted competitive retail audits and market benchmarking across a high-growth consumer goods segment. Developed 3 novel closure concepts from ideation through DFM analysis, Fusion 360 CAD modeling, and mold flow simulation, all targeting commercial viability constraints.
Live Dashboard
Built an interactive Power BI dashboard visualizing FY22–FY25 campus waste transfer data for UIUC F&S in support of iCAP 2020 Objective 5.2 (25% diversion rate target). Tracks landfill tons, diversion totals, grind-to-energy collection, and rebates, with year/month filters for exec decision-making.
SE 413 · Spring 2026
Optimized a Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) for a 40-story skyscraper using MATLAB's fmincon solver and real 1940 El Centro earthquake data. Minimized RMS building displacement over 0.6–6 rad/s frequency band under a $2.1M budget and 2.0m stroke constraint.
Electronics · PCB · CAD
Managed the full design-to-test cycle for camera enclosures and magnetic dropper mechanisms on a 15-person autonomous submarine team competing in RobotNation. Coordinated with the electrical team to integrate thrusters, sensors, and motor controls into a modular architecture.
Manufacturing · Defense
Engineered a military-grade aerial drone in a team of 7 at Technotreon Intellectual Ventures for enhanced public safety operations. Led Fusion 360 CAD design, 3D prototype testing, and patent prior-art research to produce a provisional patent filing.
Designed and built a multi-page Power BI dashboard aggregating 4 years of UIUC campus waste transfer data (landfill tonnage, diversion, grind-to-energy collection, and rebate tracking) in support of the iCAP 2020 25% diversion target.
Merged 5 raw data files using Python (pandas/openpyxl) into a 3-sheet master workbook. Explored Azure Blob Storage → Data Factory → Synapse Analytics → Power BI (DirectQuery) pipeline for automated live refresh.
ⓘ Dashboard hosted on UIUC institutional account. Export via Power BI → File → Export to PDF to preserve it before graduation.
In FY2025, I helped pilot UIUC's first composting program at campus events, proving that an 84.5% diversion rate is achievable, not theoretical.
Over FY2025, I coordinated two first-of-their-kind composting events at UIUC in partnership with WasteNot Compost, a zero-emission organic waste hauler. These weren't just events. They were proof-of-concept operations that answered a real institutional question: can UIUC run a fully zero-waste event?
The answer, as of August 2025, is yes. The Welcome Lunch diverted 84.5% of all waste generated, with student volunteers, compostable serviceware, and contamination-free sorting at scale. WasteNot called it one of their cleanest event collections.
The opening pilot, chosen for its high visibility and sustainability-minded audience. Primary goal was to establish the WasteNot workflow, train the first volunteer cohort, and validate the logistics model before a higher-stakes deployment. ~4,000 attendees.
The real test: 3,000 incoming students, fully compostable serviceware from all vendors, multiple WasteNot stations, and contamination-free sorting. WasteNot posted about this event publicly, calling it an outstanding collaboration. 84.5% of all waste was diverted.
I extended the pilot work into a full research analysis evaluating three long-term infrastructure pathways for UIUC's organic waste (continued third-party composting, an on-campus composting plant, and an anaerobic digester) using inflation-adjusted FY25 cost data.
Key finding: an anaerobic digester at 1,500 tons/year capacity brings UIUC's diversion rate from 18.88% to 38.9%, generates $9.36M in net financial benefit over 20 years, and pays back in 4.5 years.
Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering · Expected August 2026
I'm actively seeking opportunities in operations, data analytics, systems engineering, supply chain, or product strategy, graduating August 2026. Whether you have a role in mind or just want to talk, reach out!
