RICARDO
My Programming Journey
Key Milestones
Software Engineering Student
Focused on backend systems, cloud architecture, and building scalable applications.
Software Engineering Internship at INESC TEC
Developed AR indoor navigation Android prototype with extensible Python backend architecture. Delivered working MVP in 4 weeks with voice guidance and multi-floor navigation capabilities.
INESC TEC →Production Library Published
Published Spring Boot authentication library to Maven Central with comprehensive CI/CD pipeline, automated testing, and security scanning.
Freelancing Project with Performance Optimization
Created and Optimized Match Dinner Mondays platform, reducing image sizes by 95% and achieving sub-second load times through advanced compression techniques.
CS50AI Certificate
Completed Harvard's AI course, focusing on machine learning algorithms and AI system architecture.
View Certificate →Backend Architecture Focus
Transitioned focus to backend systems, API design, and database optimization through hands-on projects.
CS50X Certificate
Completed Harvard's Introduction to Computer Science, establishing strong foundation in algorithms and data structures.
View Certificate →Programming Journey Begins
Started with system-level programming, inspired by performance-critical applications.
Technical Skills
Backend & APIs
Cloud & DevOps
Database & Caching
Projects
Production Auth Library
Published Spring Boot authentication library on Maven Central with zero-code integration. • CSRF protection and Redis-backed rate limiting • JWT security with OWASP compliance • Only 12ms request overhead • Benchmarked with 100k users: - 22% query improvement - 73x faster pagination • Full CI/CD with automated testing
Chess AI Engine
Reinforcement Learning pipeline built from scratch using Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) and dual-head ResNets. • Architected a custom RL pipeline using MCTS and PyTorch • Bootstrapped policy networks using Knowledge Distillation from Stockfish • Implemented dynamic batch sizing and mixed-precision (AMP) for GPU efficiency • Visualized real-time search tree expansion and node evaluation • Achieved competitive play vs standard engines
AI Resume Optimizer
AI-powered resume optimization using NVIDIA's Llama-3.1 Nemotron Ultra (253B parameters). • Engineered prompt optimization for consistent JSON responses • Reduced token consumption with structured scoring • 4 comprehensive evaluation criteria • Advanced error handling for reliable AI feedback • Optimized for professional resume enhancement
Real-time Stock Platform
High-performance stock portfolio tracker with advanced caching and API optimization. • Redis caching: 20+ seconds → sub-second load times • Parallel API processing across 4 financial data providers • Intelligent fallback strategies for data consistency • Real-time portfolio tracking and analytics • Optimized for high-frequency data updates
Match Dinner Mondays
Performance-optimized dating platform with advanced optimization techniques. • WebP compression: 3-5MB → ~200KB images • Lazy loading for improved mobile experience • SEO strategy achieving first-page Google rankings • PWA functionality for enhanced user engagement • Direct client collaboration with iterative development
Real-time Blog Platform
Full-stack blog platform with comprehensive real-time features. • Real-time updates and live content synchronization • User authentication and authorization system • Complete CRUD operations for content management • Firebase backend services integration • Responsive design for all devices
Recommendations
Mentor testimonial from my latest internship
My overall assessment is very positive: he is a young engineer with excellent potential, autonomy, and technical maturity above the average for his level, ready to join international teams and demanding environments.
Prof. Fernando Cassola Marques
Phd researcher INESC TEC / Invited Professor FEUP · Porto, 15 October 2025
fernando.c.marques@inesctec.ptLet's talk about everything!
Feel free to reach out for collaborations or just a friendly hello.
Porto, Portugal