Nachiketa Hebbar — AI Researcher

I am currently working in the Recommendations team at TikTok as a Machine Learning Engineer. I graduated with my Masters in Information Systems Management at Carnegie Mellon University, specializing in machine learning and AI. Alongside my studies, I had worked as a Machine Learning Intern at Superkind, Inc., focused on enhancing image recognition models and developing transformer models for text-to-text problems and recommendation systems. Passionate about leveraging technology to solve real-world challenges, I share my knowledge of artificial intelligence on my YouTube channel(youtube.com/NachiketaHebbar), which has garnered over 2 million views and 25k+ subscribers. I am also an experienced public speaker, having led numerous AI workshops and sessions across Indian colleges like VIT Vellore ,RVCE Bangalore and IIT Kharagpur. Interested in discussing AI, machine learning innovations, or speaking opportunities? Feel free to connect with me here or reach out via email. ** All views expressed on my profile are my own, and do not represent my employer.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Machine Learning Engineer specializing in AI and Computer Vision for B2C applications.

Location: San Jose, California, United States

Experience: 6 yrs 3 mos

Skills

Applied Machine Learning
Recommender Systems
Natural Language Processing (nlp)
Computer Vision
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (ai)
Machine Learning Algorithms

Career Highlights

Developed recommendation strategy for 100M+ users at TikTok.
Enhanced image recognition accuracy by 20% at Superkind.
Public speaker with 25k+ YouTube subscribers.

Work Experience

TikTok

Machine Learning Engineer 2 (11 mos)

Superkind

AI/ML Intern (3 mos)

Carnegie Mellon University - Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy

Teaching Assistant (4 mos)

Awiros

Computer Vision Engineer (1 yr 11 mos)

Computer Vision Intern (1 mo)

Indian Institute of Information Technology Nagpur

Research Intern (3 mos)

Microsoft

Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador (11 mos)

Microsoft Student Partner -Beta (7 mos)

GetBoarded

Data Scientist (3 mos)

GirlScript Foundation

Data Science Mentor (0 mo)

Indian Society for Technical Education

Senior Technical Advisor (11 mos)

Technical Head (11 mos)

YouTube

Content Creator (4 yrs 1 mo)

Maruti Suzuki India Limited

IT Intern (1 mo)

International Society of Automation (ISA)

Core Commitee Member (1 yr)

Education

Bachelor of Technology - BTech at Vellore Institute of Technology

Master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University - Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy

at Carnegie Mellon University

Masters at Carnegie Mellon University - Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy

Nachiketa Hebbar

AI Researcher

San Jose, California, United States6 yrs 3 mos experience

AI EnabledAI ML Practitioner

Key Highlights

Developed recommendation strategy for 100M+ users at TikTok.
Enhanced image recognition accuracy by 20% at Superkind.
Public speaker with 25k+ YouTube subscribers.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Machine Learning Engineer specializing in AI and Computer Vision for B2C applications.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Applied Machine LearningRecommender SystemsNatural Language Processing (nlp)Computer VisionMachine LearningArtificial Intelligence (ai)Machine Learning Algorithms

Other Skills

Large Language Model Operations (LLMOps)Deep LearningLarge Language Models (LLM)Image ProcessingPython (Programming Language)PyTorchData ScienceOpenCVTensorFlowFinanceProduct DevelopmentTeamworkTeachingInternet of Things (IoT)Matlab

About

Experience

Tiktok

Machine Learning Engineer 2

Apr 2025 – Present · 11 mos · San Jose, CA

Working on the TikTok Local Service Recommendation Team.
Improving the whole recommendation pipeline from candidate generation ->pre-ranking-> ranking->post-ranking, to deliver hyper-personalized location-based recommendations.
Developed 0->1 recommendation strategy for the "Local" Tab in TikTok, launching to 100M+ users

Applied Machine LearningRecommender Systems

Superkind

AI/ML Intern

May 2024 – Aug 2024 · 3 mos

1. Enhanced image recognition models for fashion and furniture datasets, achieving a 20% increase in detection accuracy. Fine-tuned state-of-the-art models like YOLOv8 and v9, combined with advanced data augmentation techniques.
2. Developed custom transformer models by fine-tuning BERT and DEBERTA models in PyTorch. Enhanced accuracy of multilabel classification tasks by 20% on unstructured datasets.
3. Architected an image search engine utilizing image embeddings from Open AI’s CLIP model, enhancing text-based query accuracy by 60% with a custom Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline.
4. Engineered content-based filtering recommendation system through A/B testing of KNN
search and clustering on image embeddings, increasing daily user interaction by over 3.5 times.

Natural Language Processing (NLP)Machine LearningLarge Language Model Operations (LLMOps)Computer VisionArtificial Intelligence (AI)Deep Learning+2

Carnegie mellon university - heinz college of information systems and public policy

Teaching Assistant

Jan 2024 – May 2024 · 4 mos

TA for course 95828 Machine Learning For Problem Solving

Machine LearningPython (Programming Language)Machine Learning Algorithms

Awiros

2 roles

Computer Vision Engineer

May 2021 – Apr 2023 · 1 yr 11 mos

1. Designed and deployed end-to-end computer vision systems for 15 smart cities, elevating model inference speed by 30% through advanced benchmarking and A/B testing.
2. Optimized inferencing time by up to 50% with NVIDIA TensorRT and ONNX. Architected a low-code SDK for converting object detection models to ONNX, enhancing conversion efficiency by 30%.
3. Engineered vehicle classification, number plate recognition, and pose detection models with TensorFlow, PyTorch, and OpenCV, achieving a 12% increase in MAP via data version control and transfer learning.
4. Implemented data version control systems and model tracking platforms like weights and biases, leading to an average of 12% increase in MAP of deep learning models.
5. Led a team of 10+ engineers and collaborated with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable AI solutions, implementing workflows using Docker, Kubernetes, and distributed computing frameworks.

PyTorchArtificial Intelligence (AI)Computer VisionData ScienceMachine Learning AlgorithmsOpenCV

Computer Vision Intern

Apr 2021 – May 2021 · 1 mo

Indian institute of information technology nagpur

Research Intern

Jan 2021 – Apr 2021 · 3 mos

Microsoft

2 roles

Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador

Aug 2020 – Jul 2021 · 11 mos

Microsoft Student Partner -Beta

Jan 2020 – Aug 2020 · 7 mos

Getboarded

Data Scientist

Apr 2020 – Jul 2020 · 3 mos

Girlscript foundation

Data Science Mentor

Apr 2020 – Apr 2020 · 0 mo

Indian society for technical education

2 roles

Senior Technical Advisor

Nov 2019 – Oct 2020 · 11 mos

Technical Head

Nov 2018 – Oct 2019 · 11 mos

Youtube

Content Creator

Jun 2019 – Jul 2023 · 4 yrs 1 mo

I teach machine learning and deep learning to the world on my YouTube channel ,in an effort to guide more people onto the path of AI and data science.