Prajwal Srikanth

Prajwal Srikanth

Systems Architect & AI Specialist bridging the gap between heavy industry and intelligence.

I am working on decarbonizing the heavy-duty industry at Cummins Inc. and pursuing an MEng at Cornell University. I architect the intelligence layer where physics meets autonomous control.

Explore my journey
01

My Origins

02

My Why & Ethos

Ever since I watched planes lift off and robots move with purpose, I knew I wanted to work on machines that think. Not just operate them, but make them adaptive, intelligent, aware of the humans they serve. That childhood wonder never faded—it evolved into a technical mission.

My goal is to build systems that make clean power and intelligent machines accessible to everyone. Systems that do not just work in labs but survive 500-ton mining trucks in the Australian outback. Systems that are reliable enough to bet lives on, autonomous enough to scale globally, and sophisticated enough to tackle challenges we have not yet imagined.

That's why I'm building toward founding a company to compress this vision into something that scales beyond me. An organization that keeps moving the world's energy and automation stack forward, even after I'm gone.

"I can't stand the idea of dying having only optimized someone else's system."

Engineering Principles

⚖️

Trade-off Thinking

Every design is a balance. Performance vs cost. Complexity vs maintainability. Understanding the entire system to make conscious choices.

📊

Quantify Impact

Technical excellence must translate to business value. If you can't measure it, you can't improve it. $30M+ in savings proves this works.

🔄

Iterate Rapidly

From SCDF ambulance tracking to Cummins DtV platform—build, measure, learn, scale. Speed matters, but so does getting it right.

03

Career Journey

Aug 2024 — May 2027

Master of Engineering, Systems Engineering

Cornell University · Ithaca, NY (Remote)

Current

Part-time MEng sponsored by Cummins Inc. · GPA: 4.3/4.0

  • Focus on optimization, controls, and AI integration
  • Maintaining 4.3 GPA while working full-time at Cummins
  • Company-sponsored program deepening expertise in AI-driven simulation
Aug 2025 — Present

Systems Engineering Technical Specialist

Cummins Inc. · Indianapolis, IN

2nd Promotion

Product Owner for DtV platform, AI strategy leadership, advanced simulation.

  • Product Owner for Design-to-Value platform deployed on Azure Cloud (Databricks)
  • Developed LSTM neural networks predicting generator transient response (~15% accuracy improvement)
  • Architected round-trip efficiency optimization for hybrid mining vehicles
  • Built RAG systems using LangChain and Streamlit for DtV workflows
  • Served as AI Hackathon Coach enterprise-wide, mentoring cross-functional teams

Current Focus: Building the bridge between traditional power generation and autonomous control, pushing boundaries of industrial AI.

Oct 2023 — Aug 2025

Senior Electronic Systems Engineer

Cummins Inc. · Indianapolis, IN

1st Promotion

Design-to-Value optimization and hybrid controls development.

  • Cut new-product complexity by $30M+ through Design-to-Value optimization tool
  • Partnered with McKinsey consultants to implement global DtV framework
  • Trained 50+ professionals across U.S. & China facilities
  • Boosted hybrid-haul-truck fuel savings 20% via control-algorithm redesign
  • Raised Technology Readiness Level from 3 → 5 for hybrid mining platforms

VP Recognition: Earned executive-level recognition for unlocking $30M+ in business value across 8 global programs.

Jun 2021 — Oct 2023

Systems Engineer

Cummins Inc. · Indianapolis, IN

Started my journey in heavy industry, quickly establishing a reputation for delivering high-impact projects that align technical excellence with business strategy. Built cross-functional partnerships with China engineering teams and drove early AI integration initiatives.

May 2021 — Aug 2021

Systems Engineering Intern

Cummins Inc. · Indianapolis, IN

Requirements engineering and diagnostics for marine/industrial diesel platforms.

  • Decomposed IMO Tier III & EPA Tier 4 requirements into program-level specifications
  • Executed iDFMEA on 80+ failure modes for new marine platform
  • Developed diagnostics ensuring Tier 2 & Tier 4 certification compliance
2017 — 2021

Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University · Daytona Beach, FL

Minors: Systems Engineering & Applied Mathematics · GPA: 3.64/4.0

  • Built foundation in aerospace systems and mathematical modeling
  • Developed systems thinking approach through dedicated minor
  • Applied mathematics minor provided optimization and control theory background
2019

Software Engineering Co-op

Collins Aerospace · Cedar Rapids, IA

DO-178C flight-deck software development for government programs.

  • DO-178C flight-deck software development
  • 30% faster verification cycles
  • Advanced Flight Deck - Government Programs (Airbus, Embraer)
2015 — 2017

Singapore Civil Defence Force - Section Commander

Singapore Civil Defence Force

National Service as Section Commander (Sergeant), leading fire and rescue operations. Developed the ambulance tracking system using computer vision, improving response times by 30%+. Nominated for Best Commander of the Year (2016).

Foundation: This experience shaped my leadership philosophy and sparked my entrepreneurial ambitions—the moment I realized technology could save lives at scale.

04

Featured Projects

Delivering measurable impact through AI, simulation, and controls engineering.

AI/ML

Product Complexity Reduction

$30M+

Created a proprietary algorithm that analyzes design trade-offs and reduces complexity in products to save BOM cost and increase profit margins. Built cloud-based platform with NPV-risk analysis framework and RAG systems for automated post-processing.

Problem

Product complexity was causing significant cost erosion across New Product Development (NPD) programs.

Solution

Created a proprietary algorithm that analyzes design trade-offs with customer requirements while reducing product complexity. Built cloud-based platform with NPV-risk analysis framework and RAG systems for automated post-processing.

Impact

  • Prevented $30M+ in cost erosion across 8 programs
  • Trained 50+ engineers across US & China facilities
  • Established global standard for cost-benefit analysis
  • Traveled to China to coach global NPD teams
RoleProduct Owner, Technical Lead
Timeline2023 - Present

Recognition

Asked to implement Cummins-wide, being adopted as a standard in all product development processes across the company

Tech Stack

Azure DatabricksPythonLangChainStreamlitReact
05

My Thoughts

Industry

The AI Revolution in Heavy Industry

While tech startups grab headlines, the real AI opportunity lies in transforming traditional industries. Heavy machinery, manufacturing, and transportation are ripe for intelligent optimization.

Coming soon
Career

Why I Chose Industry Over Academia

The path less traveled for an engineering graduate passionate about research. How real-world constraints spark creativity in ways academic freedom sometimes cannot.

Coming soon
Technical

Digital Twins: Beyond the Buzzword

What does it actually take to build a useful digital twin? Lessons from implementing physics-based simulation at industrial scale.

Coming soon
06

Connect

Always open to conversations about systems engineering, AI applications in industry, or opportunities to collaborate on challenging problems.