Hi, I'm Jake.

I study mechanical engineering at Columbia (class of 2028, 4.00 GPA), and I build hardware along with the software that runs it.

This summer I was a vehicle software automation engineer at Relativity Space, writing hardware-in-the-loop test software for their fluid systems.

Right now I'm helping build the CUTE tokamak at Columbia's Plasma Physics Lab, and I'm a research engineer at Costream (YC S25), where I built a speech model arena that's past 10,000 votes.

Before that, I designed connector tooling at Glenair that saved over $20,000, shipped an app at Omen (YC F25), and competed on the US National Space Modeling Team.

  • Columbia Plasma Physics LabFeb 2025 to now
    Manufacturing Engineer

    I built the full Fusion 360 assembly of the CUTE tokamak, ran FEA on its toroidal field legs, and routed the high-current cables through them in series, spliced with CNC-machined aluminum connectors that we tested to 10,000 A.

  • Costream (YC S25)Nov 2025 to now
    AI/ML Research Engineer

    I built a public arena where people blind-vote between speech models. It has passed 10,000 votes, and its Bradley-Terry leaderboard is checked against a 9-model LLM-as-judge board.

  • Columbia Space InitiativeSep 2024 to now
    Propulsion Fluids

    I'm designing a PID-driven ball valve to meter LOX against 4.5 ksi upstream, and the subscale rig that tests our electronic regulator first.

  • QuadrupedSep 2026 to now
    Personal project

    A sub-$300 dog based on IISc's Stoch: eight servos, a Raspberry Pi, and a Python control stack running a 50 Hz trot.

work.

  1. CUTE TokamakStructure, current paths and vacuum for a university fusion device.
  2. PID LOX Ball ValveReplacing a bang-bang solenoid with a valve a controller can actually steer.
  3. E-Reg Subscale TestCharacterizing an electronic regulator before it ever touches LOX.
  4. Quadruped RobotA sub-$300 dog that trots, built on a five-bar leg reduced to 2-link IK.
  5. Fiber Optic Connector ToolingOne fixture across a whole shell size, and $20k back.
  6. Rockets + Boost GlidersCompetition models where every gram and every meter counts.
  7. Don't Get DistractedA robot arm that sees you pick up your phone and pokes you.
  8. Agar - AGI Summit 2026 Hackathon WinnerA Minecraft companion that talks at human speed and acts while it's still talking.
  9. Audio Peak Latch + ScoreboardAnalog front end, digital memory, and the bugs you only find on a breadboard.

also.

Eagle Scout. Three-time AIME qualifier. USABO semifinalist.

I TA fluid mechanics, probability, differential equations, and intro to EE.

say hi.

jakeli1202@gmail.com