Hi, I'm Arian: building AI-driven, human-centered software.
I build software that listens back: games that respond to real brain activity, and production apps that just work. Somewhere between the research lab and the deploy button is where I do my best work.
About
A little about me
I'm an AI-focused Computer Science graduate (Honours) from Queen's University, experienced in production software development with Python, JavaScript, and CI/CD in agile teams. I'm currently deepening my React expertise while building scalable, reliable, user-facing systems for large-scale consumer platforms.
With Queen's Merlin Neurotech, I helped build an immersive video game using the Galea system, integrating EEG, VR, and eye-tracking to create neuroadaptive gameplay that reacts to real-time brain activity and user behavior. Built with Unity and C#, the project bridged gaming, neuroscience education, and neurofeedback training.
My most recent big win was serving as a key technical researcher on Queen's Hyperloop Design Team, where we earned 1st place at European Hyperloop Week 2024 for a full-scale socio-economic research paper on Hyperloop route optimization using A*/Dijkstra's algorithms and GIS.
Beyond code, I'm into fitness, psychology, health, personal finance, music production, and video games.
Top skills
Languages
- PersianNative or Bilingual
- EnglishNative or Bilingual
Outside of code
Fitness, psychology, health, personal finance, music production, and video games.
Experience
Where I've made an impact
Research, teaching, and industry roles spanning AI, neurotech, and web engineering.
Teaching Assistant, Cognitive Science & Statistics
Jan 2025 – Apr 2025Queen's University · Kingston, ON
- Supported 150+ students in an AI-focused Cognitive Science course, providing one-on-one guidance, grading, and debugging support.
- Redesigned regression labs and automated grading, improving student performance by 10% and reducing workload by 20%.
- Collaborated via Jira and Teams to iterate on lab materials, achieving 92% satisfaction across 12 weekly sessions.
- Implemented pytest unit tests and CI checks, eliminating 100% of grading errors.
AI Research Specialist
Oct 2023 – Apr 2026Queen's Hyperloop Design Team · Kingston, ON
- Awarded 1st place in the Full-Scale Socio-Economic Research category at European Hyperloop Week 2024 (Zurich, Switzerland) for research on Hyperloop route implementation using AI & Machine Learning.
- Spearheaded multi-criteria GIS analysis across 5,000+ km of proposed routes using QGIS and FME.
- Replaced Dijkstra's with A* pathfinding, increasing route accuracy by 25% while accelerating search performance.
- Integrated socio-economic, temperature, and infrastructure data (elevation, water sources, pipelines, gas lines) into route planning to minimize environmental impact and ensure economic feasibility.
- Presented first-place research perfecting strategic roadmap planning for a Calgary-to-Edmonton corridor.
Technical Researcher / Game Developer
Sep 2024 – Apr 2026Queen's Merlin Neurotech · Kingston, ON
- Developed an EEG-based Unity game integrating the Galea biosensing headset, VR, and eye-tracking, built as a neuroadaptive Duck Hunt where user concentration influences gameplay.
- Improved focus-detection accuracy by 20% and reduced real-time biosignal data latency by 50% using Python REST APIs and JavaScript.
- Validated gameplay mechanics using the Unity Test Framework and pytest.
- Showcased the proof-of-concept at the Game Development Club Showcase to 100+ attendees, gathering feedback to refine neurofeedback features.
Project Engineer
Sep 2024 – Apr 2026Queen's Themed Entertainment Development Team (QTEDT) · Kingston, ON
- Designing 3D visualizations for virtual reality using Unreal Engine.
- Focused on creating immersive, interactive experiences tailored for themed entertainment projects.
Data Science Intern, E-commerce
Jul 2023 – Aug 2023Netbarg · Remote, Tehran, Iran
- Built a personalization model for customer product recommendations using Python, Docker, and AWS EC2.
- Optimized SQL ETL for 200k+ reviews powering an NLP recommender, lifting CTR by 15% and reducing bounce rate by 8%.
- Designed comprehensive pytest test suites, reducing production defects by 30%.
- Delivered data-driven insights that improved gross margin by 7% through strategic pricing adjustments.
Earlier experience
Secretary · Olympus Trading
Apr 2021 – Sep 2021Analyzed market trends (+8% sales revenue), fixed stock/storage issues (+10% delivery time), and helped design parts of the company website in WordPress.
Projects & Research
Things I've built
From neuroadaptive games to award-winning Hyperloop research.
Neuroadaptive EEG Game (Galea × Unity)
Sep 2024 – Apr 2026An immersive neuroadaptive video game built with Unity and C#, integrating the Galea biosensing headset (EEG + eye-tracking + VR) so real-time brain activity and attention shape gameplay in a Duck Hunt–style experience.
- Improved focus-detection accuracy by 20%
- Reduced real-time biosignal data latency by 50% via Python REST APIs
- Validated with Unity Test Framework + pytest; showcased to 100+ attendees
Hyperloop Route Optimization
Oct 2023 – Apr 2026Multi-criteria GIS research optimizing Hyperloop route feasibility across 5,000+ km, combining pathfinding algorithms with socio-economic and environmental data. Awarded 1st place at European Hyperloop Week 2024.
- Replaced Dijkstra's with A* pathfinding for +25% route accuracy
- QGIS + FME spatial analysis across elevation, temperature & infrastructure data
- Published research paper, presented in Zurich, Switzerland
VR Themed Entertainment Visualizations
Sep 2024 – Apr 20263D/VR environments and interactive experiences for themed entertainment concepts, built in Unreal Engine with Queen's Themed Entertainment Development Team.
- End-to-end 3D visualization design in Unreal Engine
- Focus on immersive, interactive user experiences
E-commerce Personalization Engine
Jul 2023 – Aug 2023A personalization/recommendation system for an e-commerce platform (Netbarg), pairing an NLP-based recommender with optimized SQL ETL pipelines, deployed on AWS EC2 with Docker.
- +15% CTR, -8% bounce rate on NLP recommender
- +7% gross margin via data-driven pricing insights
- 30% fewer production defects via pytest suites
Skills
Tools of the trade
A production-oriented, AI-first stack spanning Python and React to CI/CD and GIS.
Languages
Web & APIs
AI & Data Science
AI Engineering Toolkit
Design & UX
Databases & Tools
Practices & Platforms
Education & Recognition
Academic background & honors
Education
Queen's University
2026Bachelor of Computing (Honours), Computer Science
Kingston, ON
Relevant coursework: Software Architecture, Operating Systems, Algorithms, Data Structures, Artificial Intelligence.
NPower Canada
2022Data Analysis Bootcamp
Toronto, ON
Georges Vanier Secondary School
2021Diploma, Computer Science
Toronto, ON
Awards & Certifications
Awards
European Hyperloop Week: 1st Place
Full-Scale Socio-Economic Research category (2024, Zurich)
2nd Place: AWS DeepRacer Hackathon
Ranked 2/26 for ML optimization & reinforcement learning (Mar 2023)
2nd Place: Hack the Track Hackathon
Advanced category
Queen's University Excellence Scholarship
Top 5% academic standing (2022)
Certifications
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
- Python for Data Science, AI & Development
- Python Project for Data Science
- Introduction to Data Analytics
- Become a Sales Representative
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Quick, factual answers, the kind of thing you'd ask an AI assistant about me.
Who is Arian Zohourfazeli?+
Arian Suren Zohourfazeli is a software engineer and AI-focused Computer Science graduate (Honours) from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He builds production software in Python, JavaScript, and React, and researches applied AI across neurotechnology, GIS/route optimization, and NLP.
What is Arian currently working on?+
Arian is currently focused on applied AI engineering, experimenting with LLM tooling like LangChain and vector databases, fine-tuning and evaluating models with PyTorch and Hugging Face, and exploring retrieval-augmented (RAG) architectures for real-world, user-facing products. He's also open to new software engineering and AI/ML opportunities.
What was Arian's role on the Queen's Hyperloop team?+
Arian served as an AI Research Specialist on Queen's Hyperloop Design Team, leading multi-criteria GIS analysis and replacing Dijkstra's algorithm with A* pathfinding to improve route accuracy by 25%. The team won 1st place in the Full-Scale Socio-Economic Research category at European Hyperloop Week 2024 in Zurich, Switzerland.
What technologies does Arian work with?+
Arian works with Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Node.js, C#, Java, C++, .NET, and RESTful APIs. His AI engineering toolkit includes PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, Hugging Face, LangChain, the OpenAI API, vector databases, and RAG pipelines, alongside SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MS SQL, Oracle, DB2), CI/CD with pytest and Git, and UI/UX design with Figma and design systems.
Where is Arian Zohourfazeli located?+
Arian is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is open to relocating for the right software engineering or AI/ML opportunity.
How can I contact Arian Zohourfazeli?+
You can reach Arian by email at ariansuren.official@gmail.com, or connect via LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/arian-zohourfazeli) and GitHub (github.com/Arianzf).
Contact
Let's build something intelligent together.
Open to software engineering and AI/ML opportunities, research collaborations, and interesting side projects.