Computer Science & Philosophy · Syracuse University

Mihir Mahale

Builds the machine. Asks what it’s for.

I’m a computer science student with a minor in philosophy, from Mumbai by way of Syracuse and London. I write code, I write essays, and I care most about technology that people can actually trust.

Read my writing See the projects

My name, encrypted into DNA bases and packed the way a sunflower packs its seeds.

As a kid, I wanted to build J.A.R.V.I.S. Then I met real AI, and it was humbler than the movies. It didn’t give me superpowers. It gave me a mirror. Now I study both sides of that mirror: how to build these systems, and how to live responsibly with them.

Adapted from “AI and I,” September 2025

In numbers

Results, not adjectives.

Digital Director, HappyLucky Entertainment 1,000,000+ views across live events, with 23,000+ people joining online.
Syracuse University 3.90 GPA. Invest in SU Scholar.
Viewer engagement +43% driven by analytics-led digital strategy.
Nilkamal Limited +31% productivity from data-backed recommendations.
Languages 3 English, Hindi and Marathi. Plus eleven programming languages.

Outlook

What I believe about technology.

Six ideas I keep coming back to. Each one comes from something I’ve written.

1
“Judgment is mine to keep.”

I use AI as a brainstorm, not a prescription. Polished language can look like truth when it isn’t, so I check it against my own experience.

2
“AI can be very sharp and very blind at the same time.”

Machines don’t get tired, but they can’t read the driver who’s in a hurry. Context is still a human skill, and good systems are designed around that.

3
“In a digital world flooded with information, clarity is kindness.”

If someone can’t understand an interface, it doesn’t matter how powerful or beautiful it is. Simple language is a form of respect.

From my HCI coursework on readability
4
“Risk management is not a one-time calculation. It is an ongoing moral obligation.”

The Big Dig and the I-35W bridge failed long after the math was done. Engineers owe people continuous, honest scrutiny.

5
“These technologies are not simply tools for communication. They are tools for humanity.”

The best technology adapts to the person, never the other way around. Voice cloning for people with ALS keeps who they are, not only how they talk.

6
“Respect is the minimum, not the goal.”

Localization, accessibility and inclusive design belong at the start of a project. They’re an ethical commitment, not a last-mile feature.

From my HCI coursework on inclusive design

Experience

Where I’ve done the work.

Digital Director

HappyLucky Entertainment · Mumbai
May 2022 – Mar 2026

Led a team of five on digital strategy for high-profile live events, from planning through analytics. Ran analytics on every event to make the next one better.

  • 23,000+ online participants
  • 1M+ views
  • +43% engagement
  • +19% follow-up interactions

AEW Facilitator

Academic Excellence Workshops · Syracuse University
Aug 2023 – Present

Run weekly workshops that help engineering students through their hardest courses. I interview and recruit new facilitators, and coordinate coverage so no session goes unstaffed.

  • 30+ workshops a semester
  • 5+ interviews a year
  • 20+ pieces of feedback acted on

Intern, IT Risk & Cybersecurity

PwC India · Mumbai
Jun – Aug 2024

Built and integrated web applications in Python and Flask on SQL databases, managed server accounts, and worked with a team of 15+ IT professionals on risk analysis.

  • 10,000+ records
  • +30% team efficiency
  • Python · Flask · SQL

Intern, Data & Reporting

PwC India · Mumbai
Jun – Aug 2023

Built data models and calculated measures so KPIs stayed consistent across teams, made dashboards noticeably faster, and documented them so they were easy to hand off.

  • Data modelling
  • Dashboard performance
  • Documentation

Intern, Data Analysis

Nilkamal Limited · Mumbai
Jun – Jul 2021

Analyzed multi-variable operations data, separated real signals from noise in the outliers, and turned the findings into recommendations that streamlined workflows.

  • +31% productivity

Projects

Ideas, borrowed from nature.

Things I’ve designed and built, from a snakebite app for hikers to a cipher that disguises messages as DNA.

Cryptography · Try it

A bio-inspired cipher.

My encryption algorithm hides a message in plain sight. It looks like a real genomic sequence, it’s shuffled with the same golden-angle spiral sunflowers use to pack seeds, and it can tell when someone has tampered with it. Type below. Everything runs in your browser.

  1. 1SubstitutionYour key seeds a random-number generator. Its keystream is XORed against the message bytes.
  2. 2Codon encodingEach byte becomes four bases from A, C, G and T, since 4⁴ = 256. The output mimics a real genome.
  3. 3Phyllotaxis scatterCodons are reordered by the golden angle, 137.5°. It’s deterministic, so no permutation table is stored.
  4. 4Integrity markerA checksum byte is folded in first, so a single changed base is caught on decode.
Mobile · Machine learning · Team lead

SnakeSight

An app that identifies a snake by species from a photo, warns you if it’s venomous, and recommends the right antivenom. I led the group that built it for hikers and trekkers who need the right help immediately after a bite.

Virtual reality

VR Zombie Maze Runner

A first-person shooter set inside a maze, built for VR. Find the exit before the horde finds you.

Machine learning

Gold price prediction

Machine learning models that forecast the price of gold.

NLP

Movie recommender

Suggests films by reading what they’re about, using natural language processing.

Python

Everyday automation

Task and email scheduling, data backups, file organization and web scraping, in one toolkit.

Writing

I think in essays.

On AI, ethics, privacy and design. Open any piece to read it in full.

Off the clock

The rest of me.

Cars and late-night drives

I’m a car enthusiast. Road trips and the freedom of being behind the wheel are part of who I am, which is why autonomous driving fascinates and worries me in equal measure.

Formula 1

I follow the sport closely and presented on how Aston Martin is building a more diverse team, from apprenticeships for minority engineers to visibility campaigns.

Afro house on repeat

Shimza, Rampa and anything with that rhythm. I’ve also written about why Michael Jackson still sets the standard for performance.

Life finds a way

A lifelong Jurassic Park fan. The films got me thinking early about genetic engineering, and about who gets to decide what science should do.

Pen and paper

For a CS student, I’m an unlikely defender of handwriting. I gave a whole speech on why it helps you remember, focus and think.

Training

I take fitness seriously. I once let ChatGPT plan a cut, then learned to treat its advice as a starting point rather than a coach.

Education

Two disciplines, one question.

Computer science teaches me how to build systems. Philosophy teaches me whether, and for whom.

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse University

Degree
B.S. in Computer Science, Minor in Philosophy
Honors
GPA 3.90 · Invest in SU Scholar, awarded to the university’s highest-achieving new students
Computer science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Virtual Reality
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Accessible Software
  • Operating Systems
  • Systems & Network Programming
  • Web Systems
  • Software Spec & Design
Philosophy
  • Logic
  • Minds and Machines
  • Medical Ethics
  • Discrete Mathematics
London, England

Syracuse University London

A semester abroad studying Automata and Computability, Algorithm Analysis and Robot Ethics, including how Japan and the West think differently about machines.

Certifications
  • Tech Ethics: Critical Thinking in the Age of Apps, Algorithms, and AIHarvardSep 2026
  • WebML101: Google AI for AnyoneGoogleJun 2024
  • Data Science: Machine LearningHarvardJan 2022
  • CS50’s Introduction to CybersecurityHarvardIn progress
Toolkit
  • Python
  • Swift
  • Java
  • JavaScript
  • C++
  • C#
  • SQL
  • PHP
  • CSS
  • Haskell
  • Racket
  • Flask
  • Machine Learning
  • Data Visualization
  • Network Protocols
  • Web Development
  • App Development

Contact

Let’s build something people can trust.

I’m open to internships, research and conversations about responsible AI.

mihirm.official@gmail.com

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