Carl James Poopalaretnam

DEPLOYED WORK & RESEARCH

FEATURED PROJECTS

Engineering scalable tools designed for tangible social impact, high-throughput data processing, and computer vision intelligence.

UNDERGRADUATE THESIS // RESEARCH & DEV 2025 – PRESENT

SignBridge — Two-Way Filipino Sign Language Communication System

> Role: Lead Researcher & Machine Learning Engineer

Built an end-to-end Windows desktop workstation in Python and PyQt5 bridging communication barriers between Deaf or hard-of-hearing citizens and Local Government Unit (LGU) frontline personnel through computer vision recognition, multilingual speech synthesis, and video generation.

Features a real-time FSL recognition pipeline extracting 162 hand and upper-body landmark coordinates per frame with MediaPipe, processed through an LSTM sequence classifier (30-frame window). Dynamically assembles sign videos with FFmpeg and provides local speech-to-text transcription for Filipino, English, and Taglish.

Python PyQt5 MediaPipe LSTM FFmpeg Speech Recognition OpenCV

SYSTEM METRICS

Model Architecture: LSTM Neural Network
Input Vector: 30 frames × 162 features
Landmark Sensor: MediaPipe Hands + Pose
Video Assembler: Dynamic FFmpeg Pipeline
Supported Dialects: Tagalog · English · Taglish
Deployment: Desktop GUI (PyQt5)

ACADEMIC // APPLICATION DEV 2024

Cryptics Labs — Smart Expense & Currency Intelligence

> Role: Database Manager & Backend Developer

Cross-platform financial ledger and analytics system built with Python's Flet framework and deployed on Microsoft Azure. Implemented high-security controls including bcrypt password hashing (cost factor 12), 15-minute expiring OTP password recovery, and rate-limited PIN authentication.

Engineered an analytics layer with multi-account support (Cash, Savings, Credit, E-Wallet), real-time 10-currency conversions, and automated merchant classification across 200+ commercial brands with circular gauge visualization.

Python Flet Microsoft Azure bcrypt (Cost 12) MySQL Live FX API

NLP // EMERGENCY INTELLIGENCE 2024

RescueTweet — Multi-Task Disaster Classifier

> Role: Machine Learning Engineer

Real-time situational intelligence Flask web application that ingests social media messages during emergencies, detects disaster signals, and classifies crisis typology (natural catastrophe vs. man-made incident).

Fine-tuned a RoBERTa transformer model using PyTorch and Hugging Face on the Kaggle Disaster dataset, achieving 85.23% accuracy on disaster detection and 97.71% accuracy on typology categorization. Engineered complete preprocessing, tokenization, and validation pipeline.

RoBERTa PyTorch Hugging Face Flask Multi-Task NLP

🏆 MOST IMPACTFUL AWARD FEB 2026

ResilienceMesh — Disaster Emergency Mesh Network

> UNLEASH Hack Legazpi: Urban Disaster Resilience

Conceptualized a resilient, decentralized mesh network communication and internet relay system designed to preserve life-saving signals and rescue beacon telemetry before, during, and after severe typhoons across the Bicol Region when cellular towers collapse.

Mesh Networking Disaster Tech Resilient Infrastructure Ideathon 2026

🏆 2ND RUNNER-UP JUNE 2026

Vibe Tourist AI — Local Exploration Companion

> Vibe Coding Competition Polangui

Engineered an interactive tourist exploration web application in rapid turnaround using Claude Opus 4.6 and rigorous prompt engineering architectures, offering contextual regional itineraries, cultural facts, and travel safety advice.

Claude Opus Prompt Engineering Vibe Coding Web Prototype

SYSTEM CAPABILITIES

TECHNICAL ARSENAL

A robust toolkit spanning data warehousing, machine learning frameworks, backend microservices, and automated cloud deployments.

DATA SYSTEMS

Pipelines & Warehouses

Snowflake

Microsoft Fabric

Google Stitch (ETL)

PostgreSQL & MySQL

T-SQL & KQL

SQLite

AI & ML

Vision & Transformers

PyTorch

MediaPipe (Keypoints)

LSTM Sequence Models

RoBERTa & VGG16

Hugging Face Ecosystem

OpenCV & NLP

LANGUAGES

Backend & Low-Level

Python (Advanced)

Flask Web Framework

Flet & PyQt5 (GUI)

Java

Assembly Language

Flutter

CLOUD & DEVOPS

Infra & CI/CD

Microsoft Azure

Docker Containers

GitHub Actions (CI/CD)

Nginx Reverse Proxy

Git & Version Control

Figma & Antigravity

COMMUNITY & MERIT

LEADERSHIP & HONORS

Active community stewardship, tech organization leadership, and hackathon recognitions.

FIELD LEADERSHIP

AUG 2026 – PRESENT DIRECTOR

Startup Founders Association — CSPC

Director of Events and Collaborations

Spearheading planning, coordination, and execution of joint events with tech partner organizations. Managing sourcing and logistics for guest industry leaders, startup founders, and VIP speakers.

JUNE 2025 – PRESENT FELLOW

Data Engineering Pilipinas

Community Scholar

Awarded professional DataCamp access to pursue industry certifications in Data Engineering, SQL Associate, and AI Engineering while participating in national knowledge sessions.

JULY 2025 – JULY 2026 STUDENT LEADER

Junior Philippine Computer Society — CSPC

BSCS Representative

Sourced and coordinated student competitors for regional/national tech hackathons and coordinated speaker sessions with tech industry leaders.

MAY 2026 – PRESENT VOLUNTEER

DEVCON — Legazpi Chapter

Volunteer & Community Member

Supporting community tech conferences and grassroots technical workshops across Albay and the Bicol Region.

AWARDS & ACADEMICS

FEBRUARY 2026 🏆 MOST IMPACTFUL

UNLEASH Hack Legazpi: Disaster Resilience

Ideathon Competition Winner

Awarded Most Impactful Innovation for designing a mesh network-based emergency communication and internet infrastructure to transmit life-saving rescue beacons during typhoons.

JUNE 2026 🏆 2ND RUNNER-UP

Vibe Coding Competition Polangui

Hackathon Competition Award

Engineered a high-performing tourist companion application using Claude Opus 4.6 and rapid iterative prompt engineering architectures.

AUG 2023 – JULY 2027 DEGREE

Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (Candidate)

Comprehensive coursework: Machine Learning, Software Engineering, NLP, Cloud Computing, Robotics, Architecture & Organization, Computer Vision, DSA, Information Security.

HUMAN PERSPECTIVE

BEHIND THE TERMINAL

How playful curiosity transformed into purpose-driven engineering, and what fuels my energy outside the code editor.

origin_manifesto.sh

>> CAT origin_manifesto.txt

My journey into technology started when I was a kid trying to figure out how to inject "money cheats" into mobile games. That playful curiosity quickly sparked an enduring fascination: how do these digital systems operate underneath, and how can they be reshaped?

As I grew, that curiosity evolved into a clear sense of purpose. I realized I don't want to just write syntax or build generic websites — I want to create solutions that genuinely empower people and solve everyday struggles.

That is why I am so deeply drawn to Data Engineering: taking messy, noisy, chaotic information and turning it into crystal-clear architectures that protect lives during disasters or bridge communication for the Deaf community.

WHEN THE LAPTOP CLOSES

I believe high-performing software engineering requires a grounded mind. Whenever I step away from the monitors, you will find me embracing nature, recharging through literature, or lending a hand in community service across Albay.

🏃 Jogging & Hiking 🌿 Bicol Nature Expeditions 📚 Books & Manhwas 🎬 Cinema & Series 🌱 Gardening 🐾 Pet Companion 🤝 Community Service

READY TO INITIALIZE?

LET'S BUILD SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY

Whether you are looking for an ambitious Data Engineer, Machine Learning collaborator, or Backend Architect for mission-critical systems — my inbox is always open.

SEND AN EMAIL

github.com/Itscrl | LinkedIn Profile | View CV (Google Docs) | Polangui, Albay, Philippines