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Basics
| Name | Julian Gao |
| Label | Robotics & Machine Learning Engineer, Data Curator, Pseudo-Athlete |
| Summary | Engineer that works in field of autonomous driving, robotics, and loves explosive sports |
Education
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2016.09 - 2018.06 Palo Alto, CA
Master of Science
Stanford University
Computer Science, 3.9/4
- Specialization in Articifial Intelligence
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2012.08 - 2016.05 Houston, TX
Bachelor of Science
Rice University
Electrical Engineering, 3.9/4
- Cum Laude
- Distinction in Research and Creative Work
Work
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2023.07 - Present Santa Clara, CA
Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Data Curation
XMotors.ai
Decision Making, Trajectory Planning, Foundation Model, Data Curation
- Curated large-scale training datasets for foundation models, introducing subclip-level indexing, blacklist filtering, and data distribution adjustment; established a feedback loop between evaluation and sampling that improved model convergence across RL and supervised training
- Designed and implemented scalable data processing & visualization tools for distributed data quality inspection, annotation readiness, and rapid dataset production; accelerated model iteration cycles and reduced evaluation latency across multiple teams
- Built a plugin-based data processing framework with Ray, enabling reward modeling, trajectory metrics, and automated data quality checks; framework now widely adopted for post-training validation, quality gating, and rollout inspection across the foundation pipeline
- Developed a bicycle-model-based trajectory smoother to convert ego pose sequences into continuous control variables (acceleration, curvature), improving RL policy alignment and stability during deployment
- Enhanced lane-centering and speed control by deploying CiLQR-based trajectory generation for overseas OTA releases; restructured TJA (Traffic Jam Assist) to improve low-speed following and intersection handling, significantly reducing user complaints in Europe
- Implemented core planning and control modules including traffic light handling logic and intersection strategies, reducing red-light violation counts from 0.6 to below 0.2 per 100 km
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2018.08 - 2023.07 Redwood City, CA
Senior Robotics Engineer, Product & Core Dev
Dexterity Inc.
Robot Control, Motion Planning
- Designed and optimized motion planning and control frameworks in C++ for high-performance robotic systems
- Implemented end-to-end trajectory tracking in C++, from velocity profiling to driver control, achieving fast, smooth, and precise robot movements
- Developed robust collision detection and avoidance algorithms in C++ to ensure safe robotic navigation
- Built custom simulation toolchains with integrated physics engines to replace ROS-based environments for robotic testing and development
- Designed and deployed a Python-based line-kitting application for a major client, defining workflow logic and integrating it into operational environments
- Integrated perception models, control logic, and sensor modules to deliver full-stack robotic applications
Consulting experience
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2023.01 - Present Santa Clara, CA
Robotics Consultant
AlphaSense
Expert Insights Engagement
- Provide consultation in industrial robotics and the growing adoption of AI-powered autonomous machinery
Apprenticeship
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2016.12 - 2018.06 Palo Alto, CA
Research Assistant
Stanford Vision Lab
Reinforcement Learning, Imitation Learning, Robotics, Sim2Real
- Built robotics perception and learning infrastructure foundational to the Stanford Arm Farm project, enabling large-scale manipulation research
- Deployed a virtual reality interface to scale task demonstration data collection, enhancing training data diversity and volume for imitation learning
- Developed a MuJoCo-based virtual robot control environment with multi-modal interfaces (HTC Vive, keyboard, mouse) for scalable, crowd-sourced task demonstration collection
- Designed a robot simulation environment in BulletPhysics to support efficient policy training and prototyping for manipulation tasks
- Researched sim-to-real transfer in robotic manipulation using policy distillation and sample-efficient reinforcement learning to improve real-world deployment
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2015.05 - 2016.07 Houston, TX
Research Assistant
Rice Efficient Computing Group
GoogleNet, CNN, Caffe
- Developed a simulation framework for energy-efficient image classification using the Caffe deep learning library
- Augmented GoogLeNet architecture with custom noise and energy cost layers to evaluate noise-energy trade-offs during inference
- Trained ImageNet models on the modified Caffe framework, optimizing for accuracy under energy and noise constraints
- Designed on-chip memory layout using Cadence tools to support energy-efficient deep learning workloads
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2014.06 - 2014.10 Houston, TX
Research Assistant
Rice Scalable Health Initiative
Pattern Detection, Motion Recognition, Digital Health
- Developed a wearable stride and motion detection system capable of real-time activity recognition and feedback generation
- Integrated accelerometers, pressure sensors, and storage modules on the MSP430F6726 microcontroller for wearable data acquisition
- Implemented real-time Bluetooth data streaming and digital signal processing in MATLAB, including sensor feature extraction and motion pattern recognition
- Designed, validated, and iteratively refined motion recognition algorithms based on real-world sensor data
Projects
- 2016.11 - 2016.12
New York City Taxi Pick-up Strategy Generation
Data Mining, Reinforcment Learning, pySpark
- Employed Q-learning and Value Iteration to generate optimal passenger pick-up policy, based on 1.1 billion NYC taxi records
- 2014.03 - 2014.05
Photosensitive Motor Car
Pulse-Width Modulation, Obstacle Avoidance, PCB
- A small mobile vehicle that integrates ultrasonic sensors, motors, NeoPixel, and micro-speaker on SN754410; designed and installed from PCB, with amplifiers, voltage regulators, and PWM for motor control
- 2013.12 - 2013.12
Publications
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RedEye: Analog ConvNet Image Sensor Architecture for Continuous Mobile Vision
ISCA 2016
Shifting early vision processing into the analog domain for continuous mobile vision
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Neural Task Programming: Learning to Generalize Across Hierarchical Tasks
ICRA 2018
A novel robot learning framework for few-shot learning from demonstration
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RoboTurk: A Crowdsourcing Platform for Robotic Skill Learning through Imitation
CoRL 2018
A convenient remote human demonstration platform for robot task data collection
Patents
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TBD Emulated Robot Peripherals
No. 63/435,176
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TBD Multiple Robot Simultaneous and Synchronous Pick and Place
No. 18/393,504
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TBD Robot Carriage Tray Table
No. 17/960,544
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TBD Robotic Handling of Soft Products in Non-Rigid Packaging
No. 16/797,35
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2020.02 Robotic Multi-Item Type Palletizing & Depalletizing
US_10,549,928_V1
Awards
- 2023
Team of Excellence
XMotors.ai
Annual award for the outstanding XNGP team
- 2016
IEEE Eta Kappa Nu Rice Chapter
IEEE-HKN
The honor society of IEEE dedicated to recognizing individual excellence
- 2014-2015
Louis J. Walsh Scholarship in Engineering
Rice University
Scholarship for deserving students at Rice University
- 2012-2015
President's Honor Roll
Rice University
Recognition of undergraduate outstanding academic achievement
- 2016-04-16
ELEC Fitness Model Award
Rice University Electrical Engineering Department
- 2016
Distinction in Research and Creative Work
Rice University
Awarded to the top ten percentile of graduating seniors
- 2016
Bill Wilson Best Senior Design Award
Rice University
Rice University Affiliates Day student award
Certificates
| Chinese Calligraphy & Painting Test (CCPT) Level A | ||
| National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) | 2010 |
Skills
| Programming Languages | |
| C++ | |
| Python | |
| C | |
| Java | |
| SQL | |
| MATLAB |
Languages
| Chinese | |
| Native Speaker |
| English | |
| Business Proficiency |
| German | |
| Fließend |
Interests
| Olympic Lifting | ||||
| 81 kg Snatch | ||||
| 106kg Clean & Jerk | ||||
| 69kg Bodyweight | ||||
| Sprint | ||||
| 50M | ||||
| 100M | ||||
| 200M | ||||
| Billiards | ||||
| Eight-Ball | ||||
| Nine-Ball | ||||
| Snooker | ||||
| GeoGuessr | ||
| Master Division | ||