Rishi Bala
Current sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas / Millburn, New Jersey
Rishi Bala
Hi. I'm Rishi Bala.
I'm a sophomore at UT Austin pursuing degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering Honors and Business Honors under the Texas ECB program.
In the past couple of years, I've pursued multiple different hobbies and leadership positions, ranging from managing my school's newspaper as the editor-in-chief to leading our award-winning jazz band as the drummer. On the technical side, I've learned to use different programming languages like Java, Python, C, C++, and Rust, while also teaching myself design tools such as Fusion360, SolidWorks, and Vivado. In high school, I dedicated much of my time to captaining my VEX robotics team, finishing second in the world, as well as working as a research intern at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where I designed a nano-scale robotic assembly machine and co-authored a review paper on magnetotactic bacteria.
Currently at UT Austin, I serve as the Controls System Lead for Longhorn Racing Electric, competing in the Formula SAE International Competition. I am working on the car's main Vehicle Control Unit, implementing torque vectoring and traction control, and coordinating cross-functional integration across mechanical and high-voltage subteams. Likewise, I am interning as an Embedded Firmware Intern at IPC Systems in New York, working on latency-critical turret firmware in C/C++ and Rust. Through these experiences, I’ve developed a strong interest in embedded systems, computer architecture, and low-latency system design.
Embedded Firmware Intern
IPC Systems | May 2026 – August 2026
- In progress!
Controls System Lead
Longhorn Racing – Electric | August 2025 – Present
- Implemented real-time torque arbitration, torque vectoring, and traction control with deterministic CAN I/O and BSPD safety logic.
- Built STM32 embedded control and telemetry systems with CAN networking, multi-sensor interfacing, and real-time firmware.
- Integrated safety interlocks, fault detection, and watchdog logic across all vehicle subsystems for competition reliability.
- Designed an automotive-grade wiring harness, including connector selection, crimping, CAN routing, and full-vehicle integration.
- Coordinated cross-functional integration with mechanical and high-voltage subteams, logging 100+ miles of vehicle testing and achieving a top-5 finish at the Formula SAE International Competition.
VEX Robotics
Captain, Head Builder, Design, CAD | September 2021 – May 2025
- Captained a six-person VEX team; spent 20+ hours each week leading team meetings and mentoring younger students.
- Employed CAD software such as Autodesk Fusion 360; documented each robot iteration in an award-winning engineering notebook.
- 1x World Finalist, 1x Worlds Division Champion, 1x Worlds Division Finalist, 2x New Jersey Tournament Champion.
- Also served as a VEX IQ Instructor — teaching students basic robotics techniques and block coding throughout the year.
Physics and Mechanical Engineering Internship
NJIT Intern – Prof. Nuggehalli Ravindra and Prof. Balraj Mani | June 2024 – August 2024
- Worked as a primary author on two review papers detailing magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) and ferrofluids.
- Researched applications of MTB and magnetosomes; surveyed ferrofluid usage in cancer therapies.
- Utilized CAD to design and produce an array of milli-scale electromagnetic coils driven by H-bridges to control miniature robotic arms.
Portfolio
See my Github for the full code and in-depth writeups.
Vehicle Control Unit (VCU)
July 2026 – Present
- Designed the Vehicle Control Unit; managed torque arbitration, BSPD logic, drivetrain control, and real-time vehicle coordination.
- Implemented torque vectoring, traction control algorithms, and thermal monitoring to improve vehicle stability and performance.
- Architected low-latency embedded firmware and deterministic CAN communication for real-time control and telemetry.
- Github Repository | Hardware Pictures
FPGA-Based CME Market Making Engine
May 2026 – June 2026
- Designed a fully pipelined, CPU-free market making system in SystemVerilog on a Xilinx Artix-7, spanning a complete Ethernet/TCP/IP stack, CME MDP 3.0 market data ingestion, and iLink 3 FIXP order submission across 25 RTL modules.
- Implemented a CME MDP 3.0 pipeline decoding SBE-encoded UDP multicast packets, with a 10-level order book featuring gap detection and snapshot-based sequence recovery.
- Built a quoting engine computing VWAP mid-price via a pipelined 64-bit integer divider, adjusting quotes for inventory skew and an OFI signal from real-time aggressor trade data.
- Github Repository
Thermal Sensor Module (TSM)
August 2025 – April 2026
- Led development of the TSM: a module combining radiator fan control with integrated cooling loop and flow rate monitoring for the LHRe race car.
- Owned the full design cycle — component selection, schematic design, PCB layout, soldering, testing, and firmware development.
- Wrote latency-optimized firmware using FreeRTOS on an STM32 microcontroller; developed a CAN-based telemetry system for live data across all vehicle subsystems.
- Github Repository | Hardware Pictures
Embedded Shuffleboard
March 2026 – Present
- Designing a multiplayer embedded shuffleboard platform as the ECE319H (Embedded Systems) final project.
- Implemented mixed-signal I/O, comparator logic with multiplexer selection, visual/auditory feedback, and an 8-segment display driver.
- Wrote embedded firmware in C to handle collision physics, input devices, and SPI communication with the LCD and speaker/amplifier.
- Github Repository | Hardware Pictures
YerraGlasses
December 2025 – March 2026
- Designed audio-augmented smart glasses using an ESP32-S3 and dual I2S Class-D audio amplifiers for real-time auditory feedback.
- Developed embedded ML using neural processing unit object detection to convert visual input into real-time audio cues.
- Created a custom space-constrained PCB and power system with USB-C, rail regulation, and I2S audio for low-latency operation.
- Github Repository | Hardware Pictures
6502 Breadboard Computer
August 2024 – December 2024
- Built a breadboard computer using the classic 6502 microprocessor.
- Programmed simple instructions and games in assembly.
- Created a custom clock module using a separate Arduino Uno; used an Arduino Mega to communicate with the 6502 computer.
- Utilized an EEPROM chip to store machine code and communicate with the processor; used several LCD displays and an array of electronics.