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Saumya Lahera
(SAW-myuh luh-HAY-ruh).
GUJARATI - સૌમ્ય લહેરા


I design real‑time rendering pipelines, programming models, and prototyping tools that stay fast under mobile constraints — latency, power, and memory.


Education & Experience

Carnegie Mellon University, MS Mumbai University, BS Shri Bhagubhai Mafatlal Polytechnic Apple, iOS/MACOS SWE Walmart, iOS SWE Paypal, iOS SWE
low latencytile‑based GPUsMetaltoolinginteractive pipelinesreal‑time low latencytile‑based GPUsMetaltoolinginteractive pipelinesreal‑time

Selected work

Two projects that best represent how I think: architecture‑aware performance, expressive tools, and real‑world interactive systems.

Research
In Progress

Tile‑Aware Rendering on Mobile GPUs

Restructuring multi‑pass pipelines to match tile execution and reduce device‑memory traffic.

  • Designed tile‑aware pass fusion to retain intermediates on‑chip.
  • Improved frame‑time stability and energy efficiency on iPad‑class GPUs.
  • Maintained identical visual output while reducing bandwidth pressure.
Tools
In Progress

TileLang

A tile‑locality‑aware programming model that exposes residency semantics for compiler optimization.

  • Residency semantics let the compiler reason about tile‑local data.
  • Automatic pass fusion + transient resource elimination.
  • Generates efficient Metal pipelines without manual tuning.

More projects

Additional work across graphics tooling, interactive prototypes, and production systems. (Brief summaries; details available on request.)

Tooling
Private Repo

iOS Machine Learning API (Computer Vision)

A Swift-based machine learning framework for real-time computer vision on iOS.

  • Designed an iOS-first machine learning API inspired by TensorFlow, implemented entirely in Swift.
  • Integrated Core ML, MPS, MLCompute, Vision, and NumPy-style tensor abstractions.
  • Used for real-time torso detection and on-device rendering in performance-critical computer vision pipelines.
Graphics
Private Repo

Mobile Ray Tracing Prototype

A lightweight ray tracing pipeline tuned for iPad-class constraints.

  • Explored lighting/shadow realism without sacrificing interactivity.
  • Balanced quality vs. latency with incremental updates.
  • Focus: visual clarity for spatial understanding.
Interaction
Demo

Custom Graphics Engine & Sketch Interface

A sketching and prototyping interface built on top of a custom real‑time graphics engine.

  • Designed and implemented a custom graphics engine to support low‑latency, interactive rendering.
  • Built a GPU‑accelerated sketch interface with pressure‑aware strokes and immediate visual feedback.
  • Layered real‑time effects (blur, glow, compositing) directly into the engine pipeline.
Prototype
Download

Shader Playground

An interactive environment for learning and experimenting with GPU shader programming.

  • Built using Swift, Metal, and Metal Shading Language.
  • Provides real-time visual feedback while writing and modifying shaders.
  • Designed as a teaching tool to make shader programming intuitive and exploratory.
Simulation
Read Demo

3D Printer Simulator

A simulator to visualize print paths and teach 3D printing concepts interactively.

  • Visualized toolpaths and layer-by-layer progression.
  • Designed for learning through experimentation.
  • Focus: clarity and feedback loops.
Production
Download

Getaways — iOS 360° Video App

An iOS travel app featuring an immersive 360° video player built with SceneKit.

  • Built and optimized a 360° video playback experience using SceneKit on iOS.
  • Implemented interactive camera controls for immersive viewing on mobile devices.
  • Focused on smooth playback, spatial orientation, and performance under mobile constraints.
Personal
App Store

App Store Distribution (35k+ Downloads)

A collection of iOS applications shipped to the App Store and used by thousands of users.

  • Designed, built, and shipped multiple iOS applications to the App Store.
  • Reached over 35,000 total downloads across educational and utility apps.
  • Focused on performance, usability, and reliability in real-world deployment.

Research focus

I’m interested in how carefully exposing architectural structure (like tile locality) can unlock safe, automatic optimization — and make interactive systems feel more predictable and “alive.”

Tile‑Aware Pass Fusion

Tile‑based GPUs execute fragments in on‑chip tile memory, yet many pipelines force intermediate writes to device memory. I explore restructuring passes so data stays tile‑local, reducing bandwidth, latency, and energy.

Outcome: improved frame stability + efficiency without changing visuals.

TileLang

TileLang makes locality explicit through residency semantics. A compiler can then safely fuse passes and remove transient resources, producing efficient Metal pipelines while keeping code expressive for rapid iteration.

Outcome: architecture‑aware optimization that is repeatable and less error‑prone.

Research Assistantship

Got a chance to work at Carnegie Mellon University Labs

iOS Engineer (CMU × Uber)

Developed and published a research iOS application in collaboration with Uber to study real‑world commuting patterns. Built the app end‑to‑end in Swift, integrated Uber APIs for route analysis, and designed the UI from scratch for clarity and usability.

Read

Computer Graphics

Collaborated with the CMU Graphics Lab to build a real‑time simulation and visualization tool using C++ and OpenGL, focusing on efficient rendering pipelines and interactive performance for research workflows.


Talks & Showcases

A small set of moments where I shared work publicly.

Paradigm — Games for Change

Interactive graphics + prototyping tool exploring performance‑aware visual systems for learning.

Conference

Volunteering

Teaching & Mentorship (Programming + Math)

Passion Projects

Mentored students through project‑based learning in programming and mathematics, helping them design and build independent passion projects while developing strong computational foundations.

Project(s)

App Challenges

Mentored a student in designing and building a complete mobile application, providing guidance on architecture, implementation, and user experience. The project received Second Prize at the 2025 Congressional App Challenge, highlighting the effectiveness of project-based technical mentorship.

Article

Language Learning

Consistent language learning through daily practice

Duolingo

Actively learning Spanish, Russian, and Irish through daily Duolingo practice. Maintaining a long‑term daily streak.

Profile

About

I’m a software engineer focused on real‑time graphics, performance, and interactive tooling (Swift, Metal, C++/OpenGL). I enjoy turning architectural constraints into design leverage — especially on mobile/embedded platforms.

Featured Skills



Miscellaneous

PALO ALTO
CURRENT LOCATION
LOS ANGELES
PAST LOCATION
PITTSBURGH
PAST LOCATION
LAREDO
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MUMBAI - मुंबई
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