Pooya Nikbakht

I am a senior software engineer and full-stack developer with a strong academic background in computer science, specializing in the design and analysis of optimization algorithms, with several papers published in accredited conferences. With over 10 years of experience across different stages of software development, I have implemented diverse technical solutions, founded and led a startup, and managed and delivered software products of various scales. My academic background also includes several hands-on experiences in data science, machine learning, and AI—areas that I am deeply passionate about.

Work experience

• Currently a software engineer and full-stack developer at ApplyBoard, contributing to designing and implementing solutions (including a search and recommendation engine) that simplify the study abroad search, application, and acceptance process by connecting international students and academic institutions on one platform.

• Former software engineer, Scrum Master, and software product owner at Chitva, guiding the development of various software products including KhabarAzMa (which was one of the biggest Persian news aggregator services at the time).

• Former start-up founder, where I led a team in developing a social network designed to connect businesses and customers.

• Former high-school instructor of Computer Science Fundamentals.

Academic Background

• Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Manitoba:

  • Perfect GPA of 4.5/4.5.

  • Member of GADA (Geometric, Approximation & Distributed Algorithms) lab, where I worked on the design, improvement, and analysis of several optimization algorithms, with a focus on applications and extensions of the bin packing problem (my thesis).

  • Published several research papers in accredited computer science conferences.

  • Instructed courses on algorithm design and data structures.

  • Completed advanced coursework in algorithms, Data Science, and Machine Learning.

• Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering from the Isfahan University of Technology:

  • GPA of 90% in core courses.

  • Bachelor project focused on Data Mining and Machine Learning.

  • Member of the university team in ACM international programming competitions.