Ariel S. Lai - Ariel S. Lai - Electrical & Computer Engineering Portfolio

Ariel Lai

Electrical & Computer Engineer

Cornell ECE undergraduate and Bates Foundation Scholar passionate about digital logic, embedded systems, FPGA design, and hardware–software integration.

Experience

Professional journey and career timeline.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Embedded Systems Engineering Intern

Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryLivermore, CA
2026 - Present

Developed a hardware‑in‑the‑loop simulator for the National Ignition Facility (NIF)'s Plasma Electrode Pockels Cell (PEPC) optical switch, enabling safe integration testing and edge‑case validation.

C++Python+4 more
ACERT Signal Science Lab

Undergraduate Researcher

ACERT Signal Science LabIthaca, NY
2025 - Present

Conducting research on affordable, scaled-down ESR spectrometer design.

RF TheoryEngineering Design+2 more
Cornell University ECE 2300

Teaching Assistant

Cornell University ECE 2300Ithaca, NY
2026 - Present

Selected from a pool of 200+ past students to serve as TA for a core ECE course: Digital Logic & Computer Organization.

Digital LogicComputer Organization+3 more

Projects

Showcasing impactful projects and technical achievements.

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CU Design Build Fly

Propulsion & mechanisms lead for Cornell’s AIAA Design Build Fly team.

Aerospace
Embedded Systems
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Cornell Computer Reuse Association

Mobilized volunteers to refurbish donated computers for global education initiatives.

Community
Hardware
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Dragon Day Disaster

Two-player FRDM-KL46Z-based physical game inspired by Cornell’s Dragon Day tradition.

Game Dev
Embedded Systems

Skills

Key skills that define my professional identity.

C/C++

Develop embedded firmware and system-level code for microcontrollers and hardware integration.

Python

Automate validation workflows, build device interfaces, and prototype ML benchmarks.

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)

Validate embedded systems with deterministic I/O, SCPI automation, and simulator architectures.

Git & Linux CLI

Version control and efficient command-line workflows for collaborative engineering projects.

SystemVerilog & FPGA

Design and debug digital logic, datapaths, FSMs, and single-cycle processors on FPGA platforms.

RTL Design & Simulation

Implement and verify register-transfer level designs with timing, control, and functional correctness.