University of Waterloo
- Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc), Nanotechnology Engineering.
Nanotechnology Engineering — University of Waterloo
Maalik Khaial
Mechanical engineering & software development, applied to real systems.
I'm a Nanotechnology Engineering student at the University of Waterloo with a diverse technical background spanning mechanical engineering and software development. Recent work includes redesigning reactor control systems at AtkinsRéalis, building web and mobile applications, and taking first place at the Waterloo Engineering Competition.
Education
Experience
Instrumentation & Controls Engineer — AtkinsRéalis
- Standardized design requirements across multiple time-critical installation projects by redesigning instruments and control systems for nuclear reactor components using CAD and SimuLink, presenting the work to project supervisors for review.
- Enabled processing and conversion of 200M+ documents and streamlined HR workflows by building the Candu AI Tool (CAIT), implementing RAG with Azure AI.
- Automated the approval and planning workflow for 100+ on-site construction changes by using VBA and Power BI to turn raw lab data into actionable site requisitions and action-plans for outlier review.
SwiftSkills
- Built a tutoring business from the ground up, growing the team to over five employees, by founding SwiftSkills and establishing its structure and strategy.
- Scaled the tutoring center to serve students across North America by launching and operating the business end to end.
- Delivered a professional, user-friendly online presence by personally handling the platform's full web design and development.
- Sustained the business's financial health by overseeing budgeting, revenue tracking, and payroll.
Business Analyst / Software Developer — Goodself
- Shipped full-stack web and mobile features by building with React, Node.js, and Figma.
- Strengthened the platform's reliability by engineering a zero-downtime testing environment, self-discovering 35% of all production errors and personally executing 40% of the resulting fixes.
- Modernized over 1,950 archived files and 100+ web files, complete with comprehensive documentation, by building and using custom data scrapers.
- Kept content aligned with business development goals by creating documentation, publishing educational content, and coordinating professional seminars with medical experts.
Digital Human Library
- Expanded experiential learning opportunities for K-12 students by contributing to and editing over 300 virtual tours and documents for the dHL's resource repository.
- Ensured proper categorization and retrieval across the library's database by using SQL to structure, input, and manage its learning resources.
- Kept the project on schedule through detailed documentation and accurate notes by maintaining close, collaborative one-on-one communication with the dHL team.
Technical Devices Intern — GAO Tek
- Supported 40+ clients across technical device categories by developing custom design sheets and component specifications.
- Led a team of 50+ interns through daily standups after earning a promotion to a coordination role within weeks of joining, while coordinating website design and client database tasks using CSS, HTML, and JS.
Skills
Languages
Software
Certifications
Other
Accolades
Waterloo Engineering Competition 2023
Designed a 3-year re-engineering strategy for a battery recycling, collection & distribution facility, replacing pyrometallurgical extraction with an AI-sorted electro- and bio-hydrometallurgical separation process to push recovery above the industry's 60–95% lead-yield benchmark while capturing the growing lithium-ion stream. Proved the case through a pitch presentation and full re-engineering report to a judging panel.
Waterloo Engineering Competition 2024
Designed the MX680, a compact assistive shopping drone for elderly and disabled users, working across software (store mapping, user tracking), electrical (sensors, signaling), and mechanical (lift, propulsion) subsystems. Validated the design with a simulation and physical testing plan and presented the full concept and final report to a judging panel.
Ontario Engineering Competition 2024
Designed a rainwater-collection irrigation system and a cable-ferry crossing for Howe Island, grounded in 12 years of runoff data and vehicle/motor load calculations, as a lower-impact, lower-cost alternative to a proposed bridge. Presented the case study and pitch to a provincial judging panel.
Contact
Open to opportunities in engineering and software. The fastest way to reach me is email.