Sakthivel Ponnampalayam Sivakumar | Embedded Firmware Engineer Portfolio

Email
ponnampalayamsivak.s@northeastern.edu
Phone
+1 (857) 506-5533
Birthday
July 30, 2003
Location

Boston, MA, USA

Welcome to My Portfolio

Hello! I'm Sakthivel P S (Sakthi), an aspiring Firmware Engineer passionate about embedded systems and the fascinating intersection where code meets silicon. Currently pursuing my Master's in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University. I'm driven by curiosity and the desire to build intelligent solutions that make a real-world impact.

Similar to most folks, I'm also fascinated by Tech and the impact it brings in our lives. My undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering gave me a good view and understanding of the Computing Industries and the importance of Electronics. Few years down the lane, now I am designing RISC-V processors on FPGAs, developing hard real-time control systems for medical equipments and also following my passion for automotive Electronics.

Beyond the technical realm, I'm a person who values balance and cherish giving back to the community. On my leisure days you'll find me exploring new places, volunteering for good and making friendships with new people, or enjoying my time playing any racket sport (mostly pickleball nowadays😁).

What I'm Doing

Firmware Development

Writing low-level software that controls hardware device's specific functions with optimal performance.
Embedded Systems

Designing dedicated computer systems within larger mechanical or electrical systems.
IoT Solutions

Building smart IoT projects with seamless data transfer, cloud storage, and real-time monitoring capabilities.
Prototyping

Building preliminary models to test concepts and iterate on designs rapidly.

Resume

Download Resume

Education

Northeastern University — Boston, USA
Dec 2026
Master of Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Coursework: Computer Architecture, Operating Systems, Hardware and System Security, Computer Networks

GPA: 3.5
Anna University — Chennai, India
May 2024
Bachelor of Engineering, Electronics and Communication Engineering
Coursework: Digital Design, Embedded Systems, Digital Signal Processing, Internet of Things

GPA: 3.6

Experience

Movement Neuroscience Lab — Firmware Intern
Jun 2025 — Present | Boston, MA
• Developed hard real-time plugins in C++ within the Real Time Experimental Interface, enhancing understanding of data flow and latency-sensitive control structures essential for firmware validation and embedded system development
• Engineered the streaming of real-time data over TCP from a server to PC, ensuring low latency and reliable delivery, aligning with rigorous unit testing and integration test practices in communication system protocols

C++ Real-time Systems TCP
Northeastern University — Teaching Assistant
Jun 2025 — Aug 2025 | Boston, MA
• Mentored 10+ students in assembling RISC-V single-cycle processors on TUL PYNQ Z2 boards using Xilinx Vivado, reinforcing low-level hardware-software integration required for device driver development
• Conducted weekly sessions on digital logic fundamentals — ALUs, register files, memory units, and instruction decoders — bridging theoretical concepts with practical embedded system implementation

RISC-V Xilinx Vivado Digital Logic
Emertxe — Embedded and IoT Engineer Intern
Jan 2023 — Jun 2023 | Bangalore, India
• Designed a Bash-based system monitoring tool in Linux to automate CPU, memory, and disk usage data collection every 2 hours, improving visibility into resource utilization
• Built a low-cost ($15) real-time health monitoring system using ESP32, MAX30102, and OLED, measuring SpO2, BPM, and body temperature, storing data in ThingSpeak Cloud for remote patient tracking

ESP32 Linux IoT

Core Competencies

Programming Languages

C, C++, Embedded C, Python, Assembly (RISC-V), Verilog, Shell/Bash Scripting

Tools

Git, CMake, Docker, Wireshark, Xilinx Vivado, KiCAD, LTSpice

Microcontrollers & Protocols

STM32, Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi • UART, SPI, I2C, CAN, HTTP, TCP/IP, SSH

Operating Systems

Linux, Windows, FreeRTOS

Experience

Movement Neuroscience Lab — Firmware Intern
Jun 2025 — Present | Boston, MA
• Developed hard real-time plugins in C++ within the Real Time Experimental Interface, enhancing understanding of data flow and latency-sensitive control structures essential for firmware validation and embedded system development
• Engineered the streaming of real-time data over TCP from a server to PC, ensuring low latency and reliable delivery, aligning with rigorous unit testing and integration test practices in communication system protocols

C++ Real-time Systems TCP
Northeastern University — Teaching Assistant
May 2025 — Present | Boston, MA
• Guiding 35+ students in learning the OSI fundamentals with conceptual and Wireshark based laboratory assignments
• Assisted students by conducting office hours on a weekly basis on socket programming in python, routing protocols (TCP/IP) and access networks

OSI Model Wireshark Python TCP/IP
Northeastern Electric Racing — Firmware Engineer (Member)
May 2025 — Present | Boston, MA
• Programmed STM32 GPIO pins to read button I/P and control LED O/P, simulating car acceleration and braking functions
• Implemented and tested embedded C code using HAL libraries, enabling real-time button state monitoring and LED control via serial console

STM32 Embedded C HAL GPIO
Northeastern University — Teaching Assistant
Jun 2025 — Aug 2025 | Boston, MA
• Mentored 10+ students in assembling RISC-V single-cycle processors on TUL PYNQ Z2 boards using Xilinx Vivado, reinforcing low-level hardware-software integration required for device driver development
• Conducted weekly sessions on digital logic fundamentals — ALUs, register files, memory units, and instruction decoders — bridging theoretical concepts with practical embedded system implementation

RISC-V Xilinx Vivado Digital Logic
Emertxe — Embedded and IoT Engineer Intern
Jan 2023 — Jun 2023 | Bangalore, India
• Designed a Bash-based system monitoring tool in Linux to automate CPU, memory, and disk usage data collection every 2 hours, improving visibility into resource utilization
• Built a low-cost ($15) real-time health monitoring system using ESP32, MAX30102, and OLED, measuring SpO2, BPM, and body temperature, storing data in ThingSpeak Cloud for remote patient tracking

ESP32 Linux IoT

Projects

Miniature Desalination Sensor & Visualizer

Hardware / Embedded
Nov 2025
• Built an ESP32-based desalination sensor measuring temp (NTC thermistor) and conductivity using an and custom electrode probe
• Developed C++ firmware with oversampled ADC reads, Beta-curve calibration, and temperature-compensated salinity modeling
• Integrated a WS2812B LED bar-graph for real-time visualization of water quality with blue to red gradient

ESP32 C++ KiCAD ADC
View on GitHub
Various Architecture Benchmarking

Software / Systems
Sep 2025 - Oct 2025
• Benchmarked Dhrystone across ARMv8 and x86_64, profiled with GPROF, and analyzed assembly-level hotspots
• Optimized LINPACK on x86-64 by experimenting with compiler flags, BLAS/math libraries, and FP extensions
• Produced comparative ISA analysis by compiling Dhrystone basic blocks for ARMv8 vs x86

C ARM_v8 x86_64 Linux
View on GitHub
Development of OS Primitives

Software / Operating Systems
Feb 2025 - Mar 2025
• Built a Bare-Metal OS implementation in C, creating custom system call wrappers (read, write, exit), ELF executable loader, and dynamic memory management using mmap
• Implemented multi-threaded context switching and stack allocation (4096-byte stacks) to enable yield-based task scheduling

C Linux SSH
View on GitHub
Reliable Data Transport Protocol

Software / Networking
Oct 2024 - Dec 2024
• Implemented Alternating Bit and Go-Back-N protocols in C++, achieving 95%+ packet delivery rates under varied network loss/corruption conditions
• Conducted performance analysis across 1000+ transmissions and 6+ network scenarios, ensuring protocol correctness through checksum validation

C++ WSL SSH Vim
View on GitHub
Recommendation System for Housing in Cities

Software / Machine Learning
Sep 2024 - Dec 2024
• Implemented the K-Nearest Neighbors (K-NN) algorithm to identify housing recommendations based on location, budget, and amenities. Metrics Used in K-NN is cosine
• Built an interactive and user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) using Flask, ensuring ease of use and accessibility

Python K-NN Flask Web Scraping
View on GitHub
Dynamic Traffic Monitoring and Controlling System

Hardware / IoT
Oct 2023 - Apr 2024
• Implemented a vehicle detection module using cameras and the YOLOv5 algorithm
• Simulated a traffic light intersection using Python on a dedicated machine (RPi), generating traffic for 300 seconds
• Achieved a 27% increase in the passage of vehicles at the junctions

Data Analysis Machine Learning Raspberry Pi YOLO OpenCV
IoT Enabled Solar Tracker

Hardware / IoT
Nov 2023 - Dec 2023
• Developed an IoT-enabled solar tracker using Arduino UNO, LDR sensors, and servo motor for real-time sunlight alignment
• Programmed an autonomous control loop with sensor feedback to optimize power output without external energy input
• Collaborated in a 3-member IoT team to prototype and deploy a 20 W solar tracking unit with cloud-ready monitoring capability

Arduino C Team Leadership
Battery Management System

Hardware / Embedded
Oct 2022 - May 2023
• Developed a converter-based active cell balancing BMS using microcontroller control and CAN/Wi-Fi communication for EV and renewable energy systems
• Implemented real-time voltage, current, and temperature sensing with SD-card logging and cloud connectivity to monitor State-of-Charge (SoC) and State-of-Health (SoH)

Microcontroller CAN Wi-Fi