Hi there! My name is Abhijit Kiran Valluri, and this is my online home! Welcome!
I am an Electrical Engineer by training and Software Developer at heart. I completed my Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering in 2011, at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) located in the city of Chennai in India. I also finished my Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 2016, at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). During the time I spent at UMD, I also pursued a PhD in the area of communications and networking, however, I have not completed this degree. You can learn more about my academic background under the Academics section.
I grew up in a city called Hyderabad, which is located in Telangana, India (until recently, this city was in a state called Andhra Pradesh (AP). However, a new state was recently carved out of AP and thus I have a bit of an identity crisis now!). My native language is Telugu (తెలుగు) which is a south Indian, Dravidian language. An interesting side note, the 16th-century Venetian explorer Niccolò de’ Conti, referred to Telugu as “The Italian of the East” due to the observation that words in Telugu end in vowels, just like Italian. And personally, I believe it is a very melodious and sweet sounding language too, and others seem to agree! I am also proficient in Hindi, and fluent in English (which should be evident by this writing). I’ve learned a tad of Sanskrit and a dash of French, and I am continuing to learn more of it! Bonjour! Je m’appelle Abhijit! Bonne journée! I have more studying to do!
Update: I started learning some Spanish via Duolingo! Soy un hombre!
Software Development Experience
I love programming and can leverage my skills and expertise I gained in the domain of communications and networking in such tasks. I have worked, during past internships, on software development projects in the areas of network infrastructure, real-time video streaming and congestion control, and video quality adaptation. These projects involved working with large-scale teams that were developing products in a pre-public release state. During these projects, I developed software that was meant to run on a desktop (web-interface) as well as mobile platform (Android). You can find out more about my skills and the details about the projects I worked on in the Work Experience section.
In addition to my professional work, I also work on side projects, including Android development, in my spare time. I am still learning the ropes with regard to Android Programming and I particularly recommend the Android Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide (2nd Edition) book to get into this world! You can also check out my Google Play Storefront: Smart Dinosaurs Entertainment.
Interests
I enjoy cooking, make a lot of Indian dishes and I have special sweet spot for Indian chaat, which is essentially savory and sometimes sweet, but often spicy Indian street food. And of course, it’s vegetarian! When it comes to making vegetables and fruits taste amazing, you can count on us!
My main hobby that I pursue with a passion is photography. I was bitten by the photography bug in the Fall of 2014, when I bought my first camera, the Sony NEX-5T. It is a mirrorless camera, a tiny thing too, and can easily fit in the pocket of your shorts (as long as it is not skin-hugging), and can take amazing pictures within its unassuming package. I like to get creative and take photos of a wide variety of subjects, including portraits, wildlife, scenery, street photography and more! Check out my Photography page to see more of my work, like the Lorikeet pictured above!