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Hassan El-Sheikha

Hello, I'm Hassan El-Sheikha

Computer Science Researcher & Software Engineer

Building the future of computing through compilers, operating systems, and applied AI. Currently pursuing my HBSc at the University of Toronto with a 4.0 GPA.

View My Work Let's Connect
4.0 GPA
2 Patents Filed
1 Publication
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About Me

I'm a computer science student at the University of Toronto with a passion for building tools that make complex systems more accessible and efficient.

My research interests span operating systems, compilers and program analysis, retrieval-augmented generation, and applied LLMs for systems and tooling.

University of Toronto

Honors Bachelor of Science (HBSc)

Computer Science

2021 – June 2026 (Expected)

GPA 4.0 / 4.0

Notable Coursework

Operating Systems
Compilers & Interpreters
Computer Security
Machine Learning
Computer Networks
Algorithms
Computability Theory
Functional Programming
Artificial Intelligence
Databases
Experience

Where I've Made Impact

Microchip Technology

Software Engineering Intern

May 2024 – Aug 2025
  • Developed LLVM-based analysis and transformation passes for SmartHLS, a C++-to-Verilog high-level synthesis compiler.
  • Designed a debugging system for arbitrary-precision number types, leading to U.S. Patent Application No. 19/304,364.
  • Built a RAG framework for semantic search over multimodal data, adopted by multiple business units across the company.
  • Contributed to LLM-based Verilog optimization, resulting in a second patent application on ReAct Agents.
  • Made many open-source contributions to SmartHLS, including the complete auto-instrumentation example with code and comprehensive documentation for on-chip debugging.
LLVM C++ HLS RAG LLMs Verilog

University of Toronto

Software Engineering Intern, Digital Scholarship Unit

Apr 2023 – Sep 2023
  • Designed and implemented SiteWatch, a fully documented monitoring and alerting tool for Islandora/Drupal-based digital preservation systems.
  • Built FOXTROT, a Python tool for migrating BagIt FOXML files from managed to inline MODS for metadata simplification.
  • Extended and maintained Islandora Workbench and other open-source tools to support large-scale metadata ingest, validation, and transformation for historical newspaper collections.
  • Collaborated with librarians and historians to design pipelines for extracting, structuring, and preserving archival content for digital humanities research.
Python Drupal Islandora Digital Preservation Open Source
Research

Academic Contributions

Featured Project 2024 – 2025

Varphi

A Domain-Specific Language for Turing Machines

Designed and implemented Varphi, a domain-specific language for specifying and simulating Turing machines. The project includes a modular compiler framework with multiple backends, VS Code integration, and comprehensive debugging tools.

180+ Students Used
WCCCE '25 Published
ANTLR Python C TypeScript VS Code Extension DAP
GitHub Docs Paper News

Supervisor: Dr. Mohammad Mahmoud

Other Scholarly Contributions

📚

Textbook Contributions

Contributed to an open textbook for CSC363 (Computability Theory) with exercises and solutions. Also contributed edits to "Introduction to Proofs and Proof Strategies" by Shay Fuchs (Cambridge, 2023) and the MAT223 Linear Algebra Workbook by Jason Siefken.

🔬

Upcoming Research

2026 research on LLM-assisted grading for CS assessments with anticipated publication.

Projects

Academic & Personal Work

📄 Published at WCCCE '25

Varphi

A domain-specific language for specifying and simulating Turing machines with modular compiler, VS Code extension, and DAP-compliant debugger. Used by 180+ students at UofT.

ANTLR Python C TypeScript
🏆
🥈 2nd Place - DeerHacks 2022

EssayBrainstormer

Hackathon-winning platform that automates essay brainstorming using UiPath automation, Wikipedia scraping, and Flask web framework.

Python UiPath Flask Automation
🌍

CityAkinator

Machine learning classifiers (MLP, KNN, Logistic Regression) trained to predict cities based on features, with custom model implementations from scratch.

Python ML NumPy
🤖

ComponentsPriceBot

Discord bot that scrapes PC component prices from BestBuy, stores data in MySQL, and provides price alerts and watchlist notifications.

Python Selenium Discord.py MySQL
🎮

RISC-V Simon

A memory game implementation written entirely in RISC-V assembly language, played on the Ripes simulator with LED matrix and D-Pad I/O.

RISC-V Assembly Ripes
📝

WordleJS

A full-stack Wordle clone with separate frontend and backend architecture, implementing the popular word-guessing game mechanics.

JavaScript Full-Stack Node.js
🎲

Bamboggled

A digital recreation of the classic Boggle board game built with JavaFX, featuring an interactive UI and word validation system.

Java JavaFX GUI
Publications

Research Output

📄 Peer-Reviewed Articles

1

Hassan El-Sheikha and Mohammad A. Mahmoud

"Varphi: A Description Language for Turing Machines"

Proceedings of the Western Canada Conference on Computing Education 2025 (WCCCE '25)

View Publication

⚖️ Patents (Filed)

1

Co-Inventor

"Systems and Methods for Control of Arbitrary-Precision Numbers in High-Level Synthesis"

U.S. Patent Application No. 19/304,364 (2025) • Assigned to Microchip Technology

2

Co-Inventor

"Systems and Methods for Optimizing HLS-Generated HDL Code using ReAct Agents with Techniques for Overcoming Generative AI Model Output Context Window Limitations"

U.S. Patent Application (2025) • Assigned to Microchip Technology

Recognition

Honors & Awards

2025

PTRC Invention Contributor Plaque

Microchip Technology

2025

Tom Hull Scholarship in Computer Science

University of Toronto

2024

MCS Prize in Computer Science

University of Toronto
2024

Philosophy Excellence 200 Prize

University of Toronto
2023–24

Dean's List Scholar

University of Toronto

2023

TC Energy STEM Scholarship

TC Energy

2022

DeerHacks 2022 - 2nd Place

UiPath Automation Category

2022

MCS Honor Roll

University of Toronto
2021

Entrance Scholarship

University of Toronto

2021

Euclid Mathematics Contest - High Distinction

CEMC

2020

Canadian Senior Mathematics Contest - High Distinction

CEMC
Get in Touch

Let's Build Something Together

I'm always interested in discussing new opportunities, research collaborations, or just connecting with others.

Email hmelsheikha@gmail.com
LinkedIn hassan-el-sheikha
GitHub hassanelsheikha
Toronto, ON, Canada