Rishi Bala

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 learnt to use different programming languages like Java, Python, or C++, while also teaching myself design softwares such as Fusion360 or SolidWorks. In high school, I dedicated much of my time to captaining my VEX robotics team, finshing 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 am heavily involved with Longhorn Racing Electric, an organization competing in the Formula SAE Competition. I recently led the design of the Thermal Sensor Module (TSM), an enclosure housing a custom PCB responsible for temperature sensing, radiator fan control, and cooling flow monitoring. This work required translating system requirements into hardware and firmware decisions, including schematic design, soldering and validation testing, and embedded firmware development. Through these experiences, I've developed a strong interest in embedded systems and computer architecture, driven by a desire to understand how systems are built and optimized.